- DPP does not explain why the case was discontinued
- Justice Tubulya has charged them with abuse of office
- Guwatudde signed the award letters to suppliers to distribute the required food items
The high court anti corruption division has dismissed Corruption charges against the four officials from the office of the prime minister on corruption charges of inflating prices for COVID-19 relief food relief after the DPP lost interest in prosecution.
These include Permanent Secretary Christine Guwatudde Kintu, Under Secretary-Joel Wanjala, the Commissioner in charge of relief Disaster Preparedness and Head of the COVID- 19 Relief Management- John Martin Owor and the Assistant Commissioner (Head of Procurement and Disposal Unit) Fred Lutimba Kyeyune.
The group had been charged by Justice Margret Tibulya further with abuse of office, fraudulent false accounting and Corruption but had always maintained their Innocence.
However, state Prosecutor Kawuka James has presented a withdrawal letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions to have the case discontinued.
The DPP doesn't state any reason for discontinuing the case, but the case had lasted over one and three months with out trial.
Justice Tibulya then accepted the withdraw letter and ordered that Government returns the bail money that had been deposited by the suspects as a bail condition.
It was alleged that in April /2020 in Kampala the four accused started the procurement process of relief food days to the official announcement by the President for government to procure and distribute food to the Vulnerable Urban Poor who had been badly affected by the COVID-19 Nation -Wide Lockdown.
Prosecution had stated that Guwatudde signed the award letters to suppliers to distribute the required food items without authorization from the accounting officer also her co-accused Joel Wanjala.
Prosecution further stated that the said procurement did not go through any bidding process to select the suitable companies to suppliers; and neither was there a Market Survey to establish the actual cost of the Maize, beans, sugar and Powdered Milk that was to be supplied but instead Suppliers were contacted by John Martin Owor through Telephone Calls and Whatsapp Messages.
According to the DPP, this had exposed Consumers to poor quality food and government at a risk of paying for sub-standard items since most of the Companies were found not to be qualified yet a renegotiation with the Suppliers who had been tipped by the accused persons to supply a kilogram of beans at UGX 5000 and Maize at UGX 3000 saved UGX 4.5 bn of tax payers money.