Former Public Service Permanent Secretary Jimmy Rwamafwa has been remanded to Luzira prison, this time over NSSF money.
This is after the Director of Public Prosecutions Mike Chibita ordered his trial over fresh charges fraud.
Lwamafa along with former principle accountant, Christopher Obey have been charged and remanded in connection to alleged fraudulent budgeting of over Shs88 billion of civil servants’ contribution to National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
Also charged and remanded is Mr Stephen Kunsa Kiwanuka, the former Director Research & Development.
The suspects who appeared before the Anti Corruption Court in Kololo, an upscale suburb of Kampala, were responding to earlier summons of the court sent out to them last week.
This was after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) reinstated the pension charges, four months later, following resounding public outcry after the initial pension case of Shs165 billion was dismissed by the same court citing failure by prosecution to adduce even a single witness in court, two years on.
According to the charge sheet presented to court, the suspects face charges ranging from; causing financial loss, abuse of office, false accounting to conspiracy to defraud the government.
They denied all the charges slapped against them by the DPP.
But presiding Chief Magistrate Sarah Langa Siu decided to remand them after the prosecution led by principle state attorney Jane Abodo presented to court a summary of the case saying investigations were complete and that they should be committed to the High Court to stand trial.
The presiding magistrate explained that her court did not have jurisdiction to entertain any applications for bail by the suspects once they were committed to the High Court for trial.
The prosecution in its charge sheet states that in the financial years 2010/11 and 2011/12, the suspects in their various employment capacities, did an act of prejudicial to the interest of their employer by making budgetary provisions of over Shs88 billion as NSSF contribution while knowing that that civil servants are exempted from contributing to NSSF.
Mr Lwamafa and group can only apply for bail in the High Court.
In April this year, the same court threw out the 165 billion pension scam case against 9 suspects including these three.
Story by Ruth Anderah
