The Director of Public Prosecutions has written to the Anti-Corruption Court in Kololo to tell them of a decision to dismiss charges against four employees from the Prime Minister’s Office accused of involvement in the Covid-19 humanitarian food scandal.
Four OPM officials, including former Permanent Secretary Christine Guwatudde Kintu, Accountant Joel Wanjala, Assistant Commissioner for Procurement Fred Lutimba, and Commissioner for Disaster Management Martin Owor, have been charged with falsifying records during the purchase of relief food, including posho and beans.
After being arrested by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, led by Col Edith Nakalema, they have been fighting charges before the Anti-Corruption Court.
The government, however, intends to withdraw charges against the four officials, according to a Nolle Prosequi from DPP Jane Frances Abodo.
In a letter given to the court on Friday, Abodo stated, “Take notice that the government of Uganda intends that the proceedings against the four officials will not continue.”
As a result of this development, the DPP has decided to withdraw the charges against the four OPM officials.
Charges
The crew was accused of betraying their company by preparing and issuing fake entries in award letters to multiple companies to supply Covid-19 relief products such as corn and milk worth over Shs32 billion between March 31 and April 8, 2020, in complete contempt of procurement regulations.
They were also accused of defrauding the government by falsifying award letters to companies to supply relief products, claiming that the money had been granted by the OPM contracts committee, which was not the case.
Rugunda’s intervention was a game changer.
The four OPM officers were exonerated following a plea to the president by former Prime Minister Dr.Ruhakana Rugunda to intervene in the case.
Guwatudde and her team, in Rugunda’s opinion, finished the task quickly enough for the government to begin the distribution process.
“Your Excellency, the time span in which these officials had to carry out our directive, which was procurement in nature and generally accompanied by tight norms and procedures, was extremely constrained. Despite the tight timelines, food was supplied and the distribution program began on the scheduled date,” Rugunda wrote to President Museveni on October 5, 2020.
