Former Minister and Bufumbira South MP Sam Bitangaro has been remanded to Luzira prison for obtaining money by false pretense and conspiracy to defraud.
Mr Bitangaro was yesterday arraigned before the Magistrates Court at Makindye jointly with city lawyer John Francis Onyango Owor, Mr William Tumwine, an officer in charge of Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme at the Gender Ministry, and his wife Stella Kakuba. They were charged with seven counts emanating from a land deal between them and Kiboga Twegatte Cooperative Society Limited.
They were arrested by police and State House detectives as they reported to answer their bond. Grade Two Magistrate John Robert Okipi remanded the four suspects until January 6.
“You will take plea before the Chief Magistrate on Monday because administratively, the Chief Magistrate allocates the files,” Mr Okipi held amid protest from their lawyer, Ms Annet Bada, who said they were to apply for bail for the suspects because the offences are bailable.
The group reportedly obtained up to 3 billion Shillings to avail land for resettlement of the cooperative society after their eviction from Luwunga central government reserve in Kiboga district in 2013. The payment was provided by the Ugandan government and Oxfam international, through the National Forestry Authority.
But later, the land, measuring up to 19 square miles in Bukompe village, Kassanda district, was claimed by businessman Abid Alam. Controversy ensued when Alam sent graders to open access roads in the area, and destroying all properties within.
During the just-concluded commission of enquiry into land matters, Abid Alam, also the proprietor of Mityana Farm Enterprises said that he had paid more than 200 million shillings to secure the land in question. He added that he bought the land from Sam Bitangaro, Andrew Rugasira, Abasi Kajoba Mawanda, and one Dr Mbonye.
The matter was then taken up the State House anti-corruption Unit, headed by Lt Col Edith Nakalema. Bitangaro was arrested and arraigned before Grade II magistrate John Okiipi in Makindye and subsequently remanded without taking a plea. They will return to court on January 6.
However, their lawyer Julius Galisonga expressed dismay at the manner in which the case was handled. He told a local website that the day’s events were rushed in order to deny his clients an opportunity to make their case.
“We reach there, and they tell us that administratively beyond reading charges, they cannot make a plea, and that is very irregular” Galisonga said as quoted by URN.
