Minister Nandutu remanded to Luzira Prison over diversion of iron sheets

State Minister for Karamoja Affairs Agnes Nandutu, the Bududa Woman Member of Parliament, has been remanded to Luzira Prison by the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala for allegedly diverting iron sheets meant for the Karamoja Community Empowerment Program.

She was charged with one count of dealing with suspect property and appeared before Grade One Magistrate Esther Asiimwe on Wednesday. The prosecution alleges that Nandutu received and held 2,000 prepainted iron sheets Gauge 28, which she had reason to believe were acquired as a result of the loss of public property.

She denied the charges, but the prosecution informed the court that the investigations are complete and asked the court to commit her to the High Court for trial.

Nandutu’s lawyers expressed readiness to apply for bail and had a team of Ministers and Members of Parliament in court to stand surety for their client. However, the Magistrate said that the file had been forwarded to the High Court for trial following a speedy process of finalizing investigations by the State.

The defense team complained that the State had hurriedly finalized investigations with the intention of preventing their client from getting bail. The Magistrate remanded Nandutu to Luzira Prison until May 3rd, 2023.

Nandutu becomes the third Minister to be arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court over the iron sheets scandal. Minister for Karamoja Affairs Mary Gorreti Kitutu Kimono and State Minister for Finance and Economic Planning Amos Lugoloobi were also charged in relation to the diversion of the iron sheets.

The Criminal Investigations Department-CID stated that it was investigating 22 Ministers, 31 MPs, and 13 Chief Administrative Officers over the scandal, but files of those implicated will be coming in piecemeal as and when they are forwarded by the Police.

On Tuesday, lawyer Male Mabirizi petitioned the Anti-Corruption Court to declare that the investigations, arrests, detentions, and subsequent prosecutions of the Speaker, Vice President, Ministers, and Members of Parliament in this scandal are illegal.

Mabirizi argues that they are not supposed to be held criminally liable, and the liability should rest on the accounting officers. Mabirizi’s case is set for hearing on May 22nd, 2023, before Justice Lawrence Gidudu.