Embattled Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi is sweating plasma ever since she was dragged to the Anti-Corruption Court with several of her staff, over allegations of financial misappropriation and abuse of office.
Ntambi and her staff members were dragged to the Anti-corruption Court by Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema’s State House Anti-corruption Unit over allegations of corruption, embezzlement, corruption, abuse of office and conspiracy to defraud and a litany of other misdeeds.
She was supposed to appear in court for hearing of the case but we have since established that she instead sent her lawyer Mac Dasmus Kabega to represent her, who told court that his client is unwell and undergoing medical attention, hence not physically fit to attend court.
Kabega told court that his client was battling a stressing bout of diarrhea and had been admitted in hospital since October 1, 2020 to date, hence would not be able to attend the court session and he begged the Chief Magistrate Pamela Lamunu Ocaya to adjourn the matter to a date when his client will be able to attend court.
Kabega thereafter served medical documents to court and prayed that criminal summons against his client should be extended until court decides on another appropriate date.
However, sources privy to the matter reveal that although Ntambi’s lawyer managed to convince court that she is sick, it was actually a trick she used to dodge or skip appearing in court.
This is because the documents submitted by Kabega purportedly indicate that she was admitted to ‘Medik Hospital’, a health facility whose physical location is not clear.
In a rare twist of events, the purported medical document indicates that she actually admitted herself to the purported ‘Big Hospital’ as a patient of some doctor with a strange name which is not legible.
According to the full details of the charge sheet presented before the court in Kololo, the officials face 25 corruption-related cases ranging from causing financial loss, conspiracy to defraud, embezzlement, corruption and abuse of office.
It is alleged that Ntambi and her co-accused between January 6, 2019 and April 30, 2019, allegedly conspired to defraud the government of more than Shs9m.
Chief Magistrate Lamunu Ocaya adjourned the matter to October 29 and asked Ms Ntambi to appear without fail.
Trouble for Ntambi and team started after a whistleblower petitioned the President’s Office, begging Lt. Col. Nakalema to investigate the rot and corruption at the Equal Opportunities Commission.
Ntambi was charged in absentia in the Anti-Corruption Court on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, where she was represented by her lawyers who pledged to present her before court on September 30 to take plea although they didn’t.
The charges emanated from a May 22, 2019 complaint by the Whistleblower to President Yoweri Museveni about several staff issues at the Commission, with the whistleblower lifting the lid on corrupt practices at the Commission, that were later investigated by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit.
Troubled Ntambi is charged together with 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 include: 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 year and have been undergoing trial.
