In a hearing at the Anti-Corruption Court, a senior inventory management officer from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Fredrick Kalema, testified that Finance State Minister Amos Lugoloobi returned 600 iron sheets meant for the Karamoja sub-region to the stores in Namanve, Mukono district.
Kalema stated that Minister Lugoloobi returned the iron sheets on the directive of President Yoweri Museveni.
According to Kalema’s testimony on Thursday, other prominent figures, including Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Defense State Minister Jacob Oboth Oboth, Third Deputy Prime Minister Rukia Nakadama, Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu, and Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, also adhered to Museveni’s orders and returned the iron sheets.
The witness detailed that Lugoloobi received the 600 iron sheets in two equal batches of 300 each. The first consignment arrived on July 15, 2022, under voucher number 8058, and the second batch came on February 1, 2023, under voucher number 8527.
Lugoloobi, who is also the Ntenjeru North MP, is facing two counts of dealing with suspect property under Section 21A of the Anti-Corruption Act. Conviction on these charges could lead to a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment.
The prosecution alleges that between July 14, 2022, and February 28, 2023, Lugoloobi dealt with government property—specifically 300 pre-painted iron sheets marked “Office of the Prime Minister”—knowing that they were acquired as a result of the loss of public property.
The second count accuses him of dealing with suspect property between February 1, 2023, and March 16, 2023, involving 300 pre-painted iron sheets, believing they were acquired as a result of public loss of property. The case continues to unfold in the Anti-Corruption Court.