Three EC Officials On Fraud Charges

Jul 17, 2002

COURT has summoned three other senior Electoral Commission (EC) officials to answer charges of abuse of office and causing financial loss of over sh60m to the government.

By Maurice OkoreCOURT has summoned three other senior Electoral Commission (EC) officials to answer charges of abuse of office and causing financial loss of over sh60m to the government.The officials are the chief internal auditor, Herbert Sebunya, 33, senior assistant electoral officer, Susan Wanume and Aida Nankumba, an assistant electoral officer.Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate Frank Nigel Othembi yesterday ordered the three to appear before court on July 31 to answer the charges.The summons followed a request by the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) represented by the State Prosecutor, Dan Munolobi, to have them charged. He told court that the IGG investigations revealed that Ssebunya, Wanume and Nankumba conspired with Andrew Muwonge, an EC secretary, Efrance Kiwanuka the acting secretary and David Ssalongo Kanakulya, the head of finance to defraud the commission. Munolobi said the accused allegedly approved the payment of the money to the chief administrative officers of Iganga and Mbale using false documents. Munolobi said the accused committed the offences between May 12 and 31, 2000 at the commission offices in Kampala.However, Kanakulya, Kiwanuka and Muwonge were freshly charged yesterday with causing the sh60,639,500 loss and abuse of office after the IGG preferred to have them face the new charges with the summoned officials. They all denied the charges.Ends

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