Court summons Masaka town clerk over sh150m land deal

CRIME      CORRUPTION

KAMPALA - Masaka senior assistant town clerk has been summoned by the Anti- Corruption Court over sh150m land transaction deal.

Magistrate Abert Asiimwe summoned Joel Ddamba to appear on April 6, to answer charges of loss of public property, conspiracy to defraud and abuse of office in connection to the allocation of government land.

"Your attendance is necessary to answer the charges of loss of public property contrary to section(10) (2)(4)  of the Anti- Corruption Act 2009, and abuse of office contrary to section11(1) of the  Anti -Corruption Act,2009. You are hereby commanded by the Uganda government to appear in this court on the 6^th day of April 2020 at 9:00 am or thereafter as the case can be heard," the summon stated.

The Inspectorate of Government (IG) is investigating allegations of corruption and fraudulent  allocation of 0.667acres of land to Masaka businessman

The prosecution said in June 2013 while Ddamba was employed as a senior assistant town clerk, at Katwe Butego division, in Masaka municipal council fraudulently transferred land comprised in plot 46-52 land at Mutuba to Moses Kaliisa.

Ddamba is alleged to have conspired with Kaliisa to dispose of government land without the authority and approval of the municipal.

The prosecution said between June and July in 2013, Kaliisa without carrying out due diligence to establish whether the land was available or not conspired to purchase land belonging to the government for his own benefits.

Criminal summon was issued after senior Inspectorate officer Rogers Kinobe told the court that Ddamba and Kaliisa had not appeared in court to answer the charges.