By Spy Uganda
The State Minister for Finance and Planning who also doubles as the Ntenjeru North Member of Parliament, Amos Lugoloobi has been denied bail by the Anti-Corruption Court in Kololo. The minister on Monday denied charges of dealing in suspected stolen property in relation to the Karamoja iron sheets.
Lugoloobi, pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was arraigned in a courtroom in the capital, Kampala. Another minister, Mary Goretti Kitutu, was similarly charged last week.
At least 22 top officials are implicated in the scandal, including the vice president, the parliamentary speaker, the prime minister and government ministers.
More officials are likely to be charged later this week.
President Yoweri Museveni, whose government is often accused of lacking the political will to stem corruption, has ordered detectives to investigate the case and indict those deemed responsible for diverting thousands of metallic roofing sheets that had been appropriated for people in the remote region of Karamoja.
Official corruption is rampant in this East African country, but officials caught in major scandals rarely face criminal charges.
“The charges are highly welcome as we have been having a culture of impunity because (the suspects) have godfathers in the system,” said Marlon Agaba, executive director of the pressure group Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda. “We have known government officials to steal billions of shillings, not stealing iron sheets from the poor.”
