Detectives quiz Lira LC5 chief over NUSAF
Aug 06, 2008
The Lira district chairman, Franco Ojur, was over the weekend quizzed by officials of the Criminal Investigations Department over his involvement in the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF).
By Patrick Okino, Bonney Odongo and Bill Oketch
The Lira district chairman, Franco Ojur, was over the weekend quizzed by officials of the Criminal Investigations Department over his involvement in the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF).
The detectives from Kampala, led by Haruna Ntambi, temporarily locked the NUSAF offices in the district and deployed two guards to watch the premises.
Ntambi said Ojur was interviewed as a witness in one of the cases already in court. He said a document presented to court bore Ojur’s signature and they wanted clarification.
A committee set up to probe the fund in March 2007 presented a report accusing Ojur of directly soliciting funds for projects from the district technical officer.
The committee also alleged that Ojur used his son, Joseph Olwa, a student at Makerere University, to sign a contract worth sh33m to construct the Abedober-Apac road through JOFAM Company.
But Ojur dismissed the report, saying it was not authentic and contained falsehoods aimed at destroying his reputation.
Ntambi said 16 sub-projects have been investigated so far and four cases referred to court, some involving the district technical officer, Dr. Joel Ongebo.
The acting district NUSAF technical officer, George Adoko, said the offices were temporarily locked because the officers needed to pick documents and photocopy them.
He dismissed reports that he had also been summoned to record a statement at the Police station.
“I was not summoned but they told me that they would meet me in the week,†Adoko said, adding that the details of the meeting were not divulged to him.
Attempts to get a comment from Ojur were futile as he was not picking his phone.
The Lira district chairman, Franco Ojur, was over the weekend quizzed by officials of the Criminal Investigations Department over his involvement in the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF).
The detectives from Kampala, led by Haruna Ntambi, temporarily locked the NUSAF offices in the district and deployed two guards to watch the premises.
Ntambi said Ojur was interviewed as a witness in one of the cases already in court. He said a document presented to court bore Ojur’s signature and they wanted clarification.
A committee set up to probe the fund in March 2007 presented a report accusing Ojur of directly soliciting funds for projects from the district technical officer.
The committee also alleged that Ojur used his son, Joseph Olwa, a student at Makerere University, to sign a contract worth sh33m to construct the Abedober-Apac road through JOFAM Company.
But Ojur dismissed the report, saying it was not authentic and contained falsehoods aimed at destroying his reputation.
Ntambi said 16 sub-projects have been investigated so far and four cases referred to court, some involving the district technical officer, Dr. Joel Ongebo.
The acting district NUSAF technical officer, George Adoko, said the offices were temporarily locked because the officers needed to pick documents and photocopy them.
He dismissed reports that he had also been summoned to record a statement at the Police station.
“I was not summoned but they told me that they would meet me in the week,†Adoko said, adding that the details of the meeting were not divulged to him.
Attempts to get a comment from Ojur were futile as he was not picking his phone.