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The cases in which former Karamoja affairs minister Goretti Kitutu and finance state minister Amos Lugoloobi are battling charges related to government iron sheets, have been re-allocated to Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga following the elevation of the trial judge to the Court of Appeal.

The cases were pending before Justice Margaret Tibulya, who was among three people vetted by the Parliament Appointments Committee to the Court of Appeal on January 30, 2024.

Others were High Court judge Moses Kazibwe Kawumi and Dr Asa Mugyenyi, the chairperson of the Tax Appeals Tribunal.

The cases were allocated to the new judge (Kajuga) by the Anti-Corruption Court acting registrar Beatrice Atingu following a directive from the head of the court, Lawrence Gidudu.

The lawyers representing the accused persons got to know about the development in court on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Kitutu, who is the Manafwa district woman MP, is battling the charges alongside her brother Micheal Naboya Kitutu and Karamoja affairs ministry senior assistant secretary Joshua Abaho.

The minister faces two counts of loss of public property and conspiracy to defraud. Naboya is accused of receiving stolen property while Abaho is accused of corruption.

Under the Anti-Corruption Act, the offence of loss of public property elicits a 10-year jail term on conviction. The offence of conspiracy to defraud and receiving stolen property, under the Penal Code Act, attracts a maximum sentence of three-years imprisonment.

On the other hand, Lugoloobi, who is also the Ntenjeru North MP, is battling two counts of dealing with suspect property, contrary to Section 21A of the Anti-Corruption Act. The offence elicits a maximum sentence of seven- year-imprisonment, upon conviction.

Finance state minister Amos Lugoloobi. (File)

Allegations

Prosecution alleges that Kitutu between the months of June 2022 and January 2023 at the OPM stores in Namanve, caused loss of public property in the form of 9,000 pre-painted iron sheets gauge 28. It is alleged that she diverted the iron sheets from the intended purpose of benefitting the Karamoja Community Development Programme (KCEP), to her own benefit and to the benefit of third parties having reason to believe that such act would result in loss of the said public property.

She is also accused of diverting 5,500 pre-painted iron sheets of gauge 28, from the intended purpose of benefiting the KCEP, to her own benefit and to the benefit of third parties having reason to believe that such act would result in loss of the said public property.