The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Director of Public Prosecutions-DPP Jane Frances Abodo has revealed that she split the files of suspects implicated in the Iron Sheets scandal to secure more convictions.
Police revealed last month that they are investigating 53 people including Members of Parliament, Ministers, and Chief Administrative Officers on allegations of diverting more than 14,000 iron sheets meant for the Karamoja vulnerable people under the Karamoja Community Empowerment Program.
Of these, the DPP has so far charged only three Ministers who all appeared on a separate file, thus raising questions about why the prosecution has decided to split the files.
But Abodo says the iron sheets were requisitioned by one person and given to so many beneficiaries not only Ministers, Members of Parliament but even Health centers churches schools, and among others and they would not bring everyone into one charge sheet for every beneficiary.
Abodo says that she did not want to repeat the same mistake citing the 2013 pension scandal in which they had several suspects facing many charges in one file. She says that in that case, they struggled until it was dismissed after one full year when they had not started the case.
Abodo says that they went back to the drawing board and zeroed on four suspects who were later all convicted, although two of the convicts have since died.
According to Abodo, they decided that each beneficiary should have their file.
She says they are going to 40 different locations to follow the whole chain and see where the iron sheets were distributed and the people on the ground will also confirm to the investigators that by the time they make a prosecutorial decision, with facts.
Abodo explained that it cannot be possible to bring all the suspects on one charge sheet because the inquiries cannot all be done in one day.
She was speaking at a press conference held in her Office in Kampala on Thursday on the upcoming Annual Prosecutor’s symposium and the 6th Joan Kagezi Memorial Lecture that is scheduled to take place next week from April 25th to 28th.
It will be held under the theme “Effective Prosecution of Organized Crimes to Foster Sustainable Economic Development,” and the Importance of Witness Protection from threats and intimidation.
The DPP believes that through the Symposium, prosecutors will be equipped with knowledge and skills in effective management and prosecution of emerging organized crimes, and the biting concern of security for Prosecutors will be some of the issues to share among the participants.
Kagezi was murdered in cold blood on the 30th of March 2015 while on duty on the 28th of April 2023 and to date no suspect has ever been arrested in relation to her murder.
Kagezi was the Prosecutor who was trying the suspects involved in the July 11th, 2010 bombing (terrorism) where more than 70 people were killed as they watched World Cup Finals in Lugogo and in Kabalagala.
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