Court dismisses Onegi Obel’s case

Aug 23, 2010

FORMER NSSF board chairman Geoffrey Onegi Obel, accused of abuse of office and causing financial loss of sh8b to NSSF, yesterday walked free after the court dismissed the charges.

By Edward Anyoli

FORMER NSSF board chairman Geoffrey Onegi Obel, accused of abuse of office and causing financial loss of sh8b to NSSF, yesterday walked free after the court dismissed the charges.

Justice John Bosco Katutsi of the Anti-Corruption Court took the decision after the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) failed to appear in court to prosecute the case.

“This case is dismissed for want of prosecution,” Katutsi ruled. The case had dragged in court for four years.
Ronald Oine, the lawyer of Onegi Obel, said: “The law was followed because the state was not represented.”

Onegi Obel dashed to his car and drove off as soon as the case was dismissed.

Sydney Asubo, the IGG’s prosecutor, said he was not served with a hearing notice.

“The next course of action is to re-instate the case,” he added.

Obel had been accused of floating an illegal private entity, Premier, and pushing NSSF into a joint venture with another private company, Mugoya Estates, to build a housing estate. Because there was no bid or feasibility study, the prosecutor argued, NSSF lost sh8b.

Under the project, 5,000 housing units were supposed to be built by Nsimbe Holdings, a joint venture between Mugoya Estates and Premier.
The IGG said the venture was illegal because it did not follow the procurement law.

Onegi Obel had been jointly charged with former managing director Leonard Mpuuma, former labour minister Zoe Bakoko Bakoru and businessman James Isabirye, the owner of Mugoya Estates.

However, the IGG cleared Mpuuma of charges of causing financial loss, abuse of office and receiving a bribe. The court ordered him to pay sh100m after he pleaded guilty to causing financial loss to NSSF. He paid the money.

The IGG also dropped charges against Bakoko Bakoru and Isabirye, pending their arrest.

The NSSF is a national saving scheme mandated by the Government to provide social security to Ugandan employees.

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