The accused at court
The Anti-Corruption court has remanded two engineers from Ntungamo district on charges of diverting public resources, causing financial loss, and false accounting involving over Shs 263 million.
Fred Mwima, the assistant engineering officer, and Moses Twine, the assistant engineering officer/force accounts manager of Ntungamo district have been remanded to Luzira prison till September 18.
The duo appeared before grade one magistrate Opit Christopher on Thursday who read for them seven counts. The court heard that Mwima and Atwine, along with the Ntungamo chief administrative officer (CAO) Nasser Mukiibi, who is still at large used their respective offices to divert funds by depositing them into different fuel companies for their personal benefit.
The money in question was meant for mechanized maintenance of various roads within the district. According to the breakdown, the accused persons diverted fuel worth Shs 60.5 million, which was deposited with Vivo Energy Uganda Limited (Shell Ntungamo) and intended for works on Kagarama-Rukarango-Rwamabondo road.
The prosecution alleges that of the diverted fuel funds, the accused individuals deposited Shs 88 million in different installments with Total Uganda Limited in Ntungamo branch, intended for mechanized maintenance of the Nyarwambu-Karubuga-Omukarere-Kashambya road.
The alleged crime took place between August and November 2021, February and March 2022, and May and June 2022. The suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. The prosecution, led by the supervisor of prosecutions, Rogers Kinobe, and inspectorate officer, Angela Tusiime from the inspectorate of government informed court that investigations into this matter are still ongoing.
They requested for criminal summons against Mukiibi, who is still at large. The request was granted.
Source: The Observer
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