The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court in Kampala has granted bail to Agnes Nandutu, Uganda’s State Minister for Karamoja Affairs.
KAMPALA, UGANDA | NOW THEN DIGITAL — State Minister for Karamoja Affairs and Bududa District Woman MP, Agnes Nandutu, has been granted bail by the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court.
Nandutu, who is facing charges of privately dealing with government property, was granted a cash bail of Shs10 million ($2,744) and her sureties were bonded of Shs50 million ($13,723) each.
Nandutu had filed for bail on the grounds of her constitutional right to apply for bail, citing a health condition that requires close attention, a permanent residence, a young family, and elderly parents who depend on her.
Nandutu had filed for bail citing her constitutional right to apply for bail, a health condition that requires close attention, a permanent residence, and elderly parents and a young family that depend on her.
The prosecution has alleged that Nandutu was involved in dealing with 2,000 prepainted iron sheets Gauge 28, knowing that they were obtained as a result of the loss of public property, which is an offense under Section 10 of the Anti-Corruption Act of 2000. Nandutu has denied the charges.
Lady Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga, who presided over the case, said that there was no proof to challenge the granting of bail to the minister. As part of the bail terms, Nandutu was ordered to pay Shs10m cash, while her sureties were ordered to pay Shs50 million non-cash.
She was also asked to deposit with the court two titles of her land in Mukono and her passport. Additionally, Nandutu was barred from travelling outside the country without the court’s permission.
The minister will have to report to court as directed in the main case for trial on May 25, 2023.
Justice Kajuga directed the state to complete the disclosure of evidence against Nandutu to her lawyers by May 5, 2023, before the trial officially commences on May 25.
The charges against Nandutu
Prosecution alleges that between June and July 2022, at the Office of the Prime Minister’s stores in Namanve and in Kkola Cell, Bulwanyi Parish, Mukono District, Nandutu privately dealt with government property to which 2,000 pre-painted iron sheets of gauge 28 marked “Office of the Prime Minister” had been acquired as a result of the loss of public property, an offence under Section 10 (1) of the Anti-Corruption Act 2009 as amended.
Nandutu is one of three ministers who have so far been arraigned before courts of law in connection with the alleged diversion of iron sheets meant for vulnerable people in the Karamoja sub-region.
The others are Mary Goretti Kitutu, the Karamoja Affairs Minister, and Amos Lugoloobi, the State Minister for Finance, Planning, and Economic Development.
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