The eagerly awaited hearing of a case involving Amos Lugoloobi, the finance state minister accused of diverting iron sheets intended for the Karamoja sub-region, encountered a setback as the absence of a presiding judge thwarted proceedings.
This legal drama unfolded against the backdrop of Justice Margaret Tibulya’s departure from the case on January 30, 2024. Justice Tibulya, one of the key figures overseeing the proceedings, received the Parliament Appointments Committee’s nod for elevation to the Court of Appeal, alongside High Court Judge Moses Kazibwe Kawumi and Dr. Asa Mugyenyi, Chairperson of the Tax Appeals Tribunal.
In the wake of Justice Tibulya’s departure, the responsibility of appointing a new judge to steer the proceedings fell upon Beatrice Stella Atingu, the Registrar for the High Court’s Anti-Corruption division.
On Tuesday, March 12, 2024, Registrar Atingu deferred the case to April 19, 2024, pending the allocation of a new judge to the matter. During a closed-door session in her chambers, she assured the involved parties that clarity on the judge’s assignment would be provided when the case reconvenes.
Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya spearheads the prosecution, while defence attorney Tonny Tumukunde represents Minister Lugoloobi.
Lugoloobi, who doubles as the Ntenjeru North MP, finds himself entangled in two counts of dealing with suspect property, a violation of Section 21A of the Anti-Corruption Act, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment upon conviction.
The prosecution’s case hinges on allegations that Lugoloobi, between July 14, 2022, and February 28, 2023, engaged in dealings involving government property, specifically 400 pre-painted iron sheets emblazoned with “Office of the Prime Minister” markings. These iron sheets, allegedly acquired under dubious circumstances, form the crux of the charges leveled against the minister.
Reports suggest that Lugoloobi received 600 iron sheets in two equal consignments of 300 each. The first batch arrived on July 15, 2022, from the Office of the Prime Minister, with the second consignment originating from the Karamoja affairs ministry on February 1, 2023.
Exclusive photographs obtained by a national news paper purportedly revealed the iron sheets stored in the minister’s cattle shed, prominently labeled as “Office of the Prime Minister-Uganda Kiboko pre-coated sheet PPG Gauge 28.”
However, events took a dramatic turn on February 28, 2023, when Lugoloobi reportedly decided to dismantle the structure housing the iron sheets. The State House Anti-Corruption Unit intervened on the same day, raiding his residence and impounding the contested iron sheets, signaling a new chapter in the ongoing legal saga.
