Kutesa, Nasasira Chogm trial for September 25

By Edward Anyoli

Court will on September 25 start hearing a case in which three ministers are charged with causing loss of sh14b during the preparation for the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm).

The Anti-Corruption Court chief magistrate Irene Akankwasa set the date on Tuesday, the day the case resumed.

The ministers facing the charges are foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa, general duties minister in the Office of the Prime Minister John Nasasira and labour state minister Mwesigwa Rukutana.

The case is being prosecuted under the direction of the Director of Public Prosecutions after the Constitutional Court partially blocked the Inspector General of Government (IGG) from prosecuting it.

The funds were allegedly lost during the construction of a parking lot and a mariner at Speke Resort Hotel, Munyonyo, where the heads of state stayed.

The Chogm meeting also took place at Munyonyo. City lawyers Didas Nkurunziza, Dr. Joseph Byamugisha and Oscar Kambona are representing the three ministers.

The Inspectorate of Government was on April 5 stopped from prosecuting the ministers because instead of having a substantive IGG and two deputies, it had only one deputy IGG.

But recently, Justice Irene Mulyagonja was appointed IGG and the second deputy IGG has been named, but is yet to go through the appointment process.