The first technocrat in the Karamoja iron sheets saga was arraigned before court and sent behind the Luzira prison gates on Thursday April 27.
Mr Joshua Abaho, 46, a senior assistant secretary at the Ministry of Karamoja Affairs under the Office of the Prime Minister, was charged with two counts of corruption and one count of conspiracy to defraud.
He was the only suspect on the case file of Karamoja Affairs minister Mary Goretti Kitutu and her younger brother, Mr Micheal Naboya Kitutu, who had not been formally charged before the court despite being indicted at the same time.
He had claimed not to have been officially served with the court criminal summons and that he was also nursing his sick wife who had had a miscarriage at the time of charging his co-accused.
Once convicted of corruption, Mr Abaho faces up to 10 years in jail or a fine of Shs4.8m or both.
Presiding Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro stood over the matter and in the meantime sent Mr Abaho to prison until Tuesday next week when she delivers her ruling.
Ms Aciro had initially wanted to deliver her ruling today, but since the prosecutors are having the 6th Joan Kagezi Memorial Lecture being presided over by President Museveni, it was not possible.
Chief State Attorney David Bisamunyu had told the court that they won’t be represented as prosecution due to the same memorial lecture.
“Today, we are in Munyonyo and this had been communicated to the court. I am not sure when the event will end,” Mr Bisamunyu submitted.
Under the charge of conspiracy to defraud, its prosecution’s case that Minister Kitutu and Mr Abaho between June 2022 and January 2023, allegedly conspired to defraud beneficiaries under the Karamoja community empowerment programme of 9,000 pre-painted iron sheets.