Judge pins city lawyer in sh15bn pension case

Masaka senior resident judge John Eudes Keitrima has taken the witness stand in a pension case in which city lawyer Bob Kasango with three former officials of the Ministry of Public Service and a high court clerk allegedly stole over sh15bn meant for 6339 pension claimants.

Justice Keitrima accused Kasango of using forged documents, that were purportedly fronted as signed by him, directing government to pay him sh7.8billion as costs to lawyers who represented pension claimants in 1998.

According to Keitrima , he learnt of this fraud in January 2013 when he received a request from CID, to avail police with the ruling of the court and the list of beneficiaries.

Justice Keitrima told presiding Judge Magret Tibulya that the case was actually handled by retired High Court Judge Musoke Kibuuka and all his orders were,  for each of the 6339 claimants to receive damages of sh4.5million each.

Keitrima recalled that after summoning John Matovu the lawyer who handled the case for the claimants, he was stunned when he instead accused him of having connived with Kasango to defraud him.

Later, Keitrima who was then deputy registrar, High court Civil Division, told court he recorded Kasango pleading with him not to take the matter to police.

The audio was played in court Thursday, and in the recording, it is revealed that Kasango did not get the fake documents himself, but from an agent of a one Obey who assured him that they were authentic, as he had obtained them from Keitrima then deputy registrar.

Justice Keitrima told court that there was never a taxation of costs in this case, nor an order against government to pay sh7.8bn, and therefore whoever purported to recover those costs basing on the two fraudulent documents was a fraudster.