The Chairperson of Equal Opportunities Commission Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi has on Wednesday been released on bail by the Anti-Corruption Court.
Grade One Magistrate Moses Nabende ordered Ntambi to pay a cash bail of Shs3.5 million before she was released out of prison. He also ordered her to deposit all her travel documents with the court.
Ntambi also deposited her land title of Block 226 plot 541 private land at Kyadondo and each of her three sureties who include Chief executive officer LASPNET Sylvia Namubiru were ordered to execute a non cash bond of Shs44 million.
The case has been adjourned to November 24th, for mention as the police conclude with its investigations.
Ntambi was last week remanded to Kigo Prison over corruption charges.
Ntambi and nine employees of the commission face 25 counts of causing financial loss, conspiracy to defraud, embezzlement, corruption, and abuse of office.
A whistleblower complaint filed before the President’s Office lifted the lid on the current troubles at the Equal Opportunities Commission, with Ntambi, now facing the charges too.
Ntambi, was in September added to the charge sheet as A10 before the Anti-Corruption Court in the case where nine other officials of the commission have been undergoing trial, charged with defrauding the government of millions of shillings.
She was charged in absentia in the Anti-Corruption Court on Tuesday, September 22, 2020.
The Director of Public Prosecutions added Ntambi to the charge sheet that already has Mujuni Mpitsi, the Secretary to the Commission; Olwor Sunday Nicholas, the Undersecretary; Moses Mugabe, a Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and Byangire Harriet, a Senior Accountant. Others are: Edith Kamahoro, a Senior Personal Secretary; Kwesiga Ronnie, an Accounts Assistant; Jjemba Evans, the Principle Compliance Officer; Kwihangana Manasseh, a Senior Compliance Officer and Sarah Nassanga an Office Attendant. All the 9 officials were charged before the same court last month and have been undergoing trial.
According to the charge sheet signed by Jane Frances Abodo, the Director of Public Prosecution, Ntambi, Mugabe, Mpitsi and Jemba conspired to defraud the government of sh35,002,000. The prosecution alleges that the accused claimed the money to undertake an audit exercise of the Rural Electrification Programme in Uganda which activity is said to have not taken place.
It also alleged that Ntambi between July 2018 and April 2019 at the Equal Opportunities Commission offices in Kampala District, as the chairperson, neglected her duty of directing the affairs and administration of the Commission, thereby leading to gross mismanagement of the Commission Funds.
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