By Our Reporter
City Lawyer Male Mabirizi has filed a petition with the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala, seeking to halt the criminal case against Agness Nandutu, the State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, in connection with the iron sheets scandal.
Mabirizi who submitted a petition this morning has asked the court to suspend the ongoing trial until his petition challenging the prosecution of politicians implicated in the iron sheets scandal is resolved.
The hearing for Nandutu’s case is scheduled for June 8th, 2023, before Anti-Corruption Court Lady Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga.
According to Prosecution, in June 2022, at the office of the Prime Minister’s Stores in Namanve and Kkola Cell Bulwanyi Parish, Mukono District, Nandutu was involved in dealing with government property, specifically 2,000 pre-painted iron sheets of Gauge 28.
The Prosecution contends that Nandutu had reason to believe that these iron sheets were acquired through the loss of public property, constituting an offense under section 10 of the Anti-Corruption Act of 2000 as Amended.
Now, Mabirizi wants a postponement of the proceedings until July 4th, 2023, when the Anti-Corruption Court Judge Lawrence Gidudu will decide on his broader legal challenge regarding the accountability of politicians in cases involving missing items from their respective departments and ministries.
Mabirizi’s pending case includes a request for a permanent injunction to restrain the Director of Public Prosecutions from further prosecuting ministers in relation to the alleged misappropriation of iron sheets from the Office of the Prime Minister.
He argues that politicians, including the Vice President, Ministers, Speakers, and Local Government leaders, should not be held personally responsible for accounting matters since their role primarily involves policy-making. Mabirizi asserts that the accountability for missing items should lie with the accounting officers, not the political heads.
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