Judiciary Scam gets deeper as Office Attendant withdraws Shs1b from accounts

A scam in the Ministry of Judiciary being orchestrated by a clique of people has gone deeper after a revelation that a one Juliet Kusiima, an office attendant attached to Mubende court drew over Shs1billions from accounts

According to internal sources, the money channeled to Kusiima’s account is only a grain of a huge scam that has been happening in the ministry characterized by intrigue, tribal wars, and blackmail.

The revelation by Kusiima was brought at fore in the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) that was chaired by Budadiri legislator Nathan Nandala Mafabi yesterday.

Kusiima said that as an office attendant, she was drawing the money on behalf of her bosses, because it is what they told her to do.

Julie Kusiima said that she used to take money to three people namely; Julius Mandu and his assistants in the accounting office; Micheal Okwalinga and Obbai Julius.

According to PAC lead counsel Michael Tusiime representing Mbarara Municipality, Kusiima according to the list signed for close to a billion Shillings an amount that is way much outside her entitlement.

Kusiima, for example, acknowledged receipt of Shillings 29 million on 23rd January 2018, another 40 million on the same day. Kusiima again signed for another 34 million on 1st February 2018, 30 million on 7th February 2018 and others.

Kusiima confirmed that the money was being drawn from a cashier identified as Thomas Oke. She said that at the cash office, all she had to do is sign for the money then deliver it to Julius Mandu, Micheal Okwalinga and Obbai Julius.

However, Kusiima revealed that after delivering the money, the bosses never signed anywhere Questioned by MP Tusiime whether she had a job description and whether drawing money was part of it, Kusiima said that she considered the assignment as ‘any other duties’ as described in her appointment letter.

Consequently, Kusiima’s supervisors have been summoned to PAC.

The PAC had sat to probe former Ministry permanent secretary Kagole Kivumbi over certain irregularities in the ministry during his time of office.

Nile Post has been in touch with an inside source who affirmed to us that the Kagole Kivumbi has been subjected to a ‘friendly PAC’ by a clique in the ministry as a diversionary technique while a fight over control of money and influence takes shape at the ministry.

PAC chairperson Nandala at the beginning of yesterday’s meeting refuted claims that he is being used by a clique headed by former chief registrar Paul Gadenya, acting registrar Tom Chemutai, and Jinja court registrar Fred Waninda to fight a war of blackmail at the ministry.

“I have seen reports on social media, I only doing my job,” Mafabi started.

Kagole Kivumbi framed?

Kivumbi was summoned to PAC to explain how Shs275m was spent on foreign travels of the Chief Justice and his deputy. He was tasked to explain why he rushed to withdraw the money from the bank before the chief commonwealth and judges meeting in Australia in 2018 before the trips could mature.

Kivumbi maintained that the requisition for the money was made through due process. He added that he drew the money in advance to avoid inconveniences to the CJ and his deputy and their teams when the time comes.

“There is no way I would start withdrawing the money while CJ’s convoys wait. This was done to secure the trips,” he said.

Kivumbi told the PAC that there was no case and that all accusations against him are fabricated.

“Directing and targeting me as an individual is most unfair as a public servant,” he said.

How Kivumbi’s fate was cooked

Nile Post understands that Kagole’s fate was cooked after auditors were summoned for a process called the exit meeting, while Kagole was absent.

It was in this meeting that fabrications were made to place him at the center of a scam which indeed had been orchestrated by people led by an accounting officer at the ministry, a one Julius Mandu.

A meeting was later privately summoned at an office located at the Registry of planning along Buganda Road. The meeting we can reveal was attended by among others; Paul Gadenya, Tom Chemutai, Fred Waninda, Julius Mandu and PAC chairman Nandala Mafabi.

Also privy to the meeting was a one Andrew Khauka, a technical advisor in Judiciary who has since been deployed to the Anti-Corruption Unit of State House.

“Khauka was recently embroiled in UNICEF scam at Judiciary and certain officials from the ministry came to his rescue, he must pay back by serving their interests,” the source inside the judiciary tells Nile Post.

Manipulation of accounts systems

A further investigation reveals that members at the ministry have manipulated the accounts systems to distribute money to themselves and cliques and later accuse others.

“This is how Kagole Kivumbi was caught in the crossfire after certain monies were withdrawn through the system.”

Nile Post has identified that the system is dubbed IFMS (Integrated Financial Management System) and certain members of the judiciary in charge have been able to operate the system from outside office.

We have also obtained an extract of the IFMS server outside Uganda that shows that the ministry accountant, Julius Mandu operated on the IFMS without being detected at Judiciary site by Auditors.

Whether the failure to detect Mandu was deliberate or connivance is yet another matter.

However, a report was generated by the Accountant General to the Secretary of the Treasury asking that Kagole Kivumbi be kept away from the IFMS by refusing his appointed as an accounting officer at the ministry.

In the end, it would be easy to operate the scam undisturbed.

 

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