Kampala, Uganda — A Ugandan member of Parliament and two other men were convicted of stealing over 154 million Ugandan shillings (approximately $41,500).
Pallisa County MP Sam Otukol was found guilty along with former Butebo district chief finance officer Sale Idhi and businessman Ezekiel Osire of Mukono district.
High Court Anti-Corruption Division Justice Michael Elubu overturned a lower court’s acquittal and found the three men guilty of theft and conspiracy to defraud. Otukol, Idhi, and Osire were part of a scheme to steal government funds, according to the judge.
“Each of them acted in concert to steal government funds,” Elubu said in his ruling.
The judge ordered the immediate arrest of Idhi and Osire, who were taken to Luzira Prison. An arrest warrant was issued for Otukol, who is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on Tuesday.
Court documents show that four companies received a combined 154.4 million shillings in government funds: Samix Uganda Limited, 94.4 million shillings; Zedkol Financial Services Uganda Limited, 33.9 million shillings; Ligation International Uganda Limited, 26.1 million shillings; and Otap Limited, 21.4 million shillings.
Otukol and Osire are shareholders in Samix, Zedkol, and Ligation. Charles Dominic Ongom, a former finance ministry accountant, is a shareholder in Otap Limited.
Ongom pleaded guilty in 2021 to three counts of abuse of office and became a prosecution witness. He testified that Otukol approached him, and Ongom provided the four companies with supplier numbers, which were then entered into the Integrated Financial Management System. The companies were hidden within staff payments to avoid detection.
The judge noted that Butebo district did not approve the transfer of the funds and received no value or benefit from the payments.
Elubu stated that Otukol and Osire knew they had received money they were not entitled to and began making withdrawals shortly after the funds were deposited. Otukol withdrew 15 million shillings within two days, and Osire withdrew 10 million shillings. Otukol made another 15 million-shilling withdrawal on June 15, 2019. The judge noted that the withdrawals continued until the balance remained at only 62,000 shillings on Sept. 30, 2019.
The judge also found that Idhi acted irregularly by initiating and authorizing the payments, which caused financial loss to Butebo district. He said Idhi failed in his duty to ensure that only legitimate beneficiaries were paid.
The conviction for theft carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence, while conspiracy to defraud has a maximum sentence of three years.
