The six Gulu City officials who were arrested for alleged embezzlement of over 200 million shillings have been released on police bond after spending five nights in detention at Gulu Central Police Station.
They were arrested on Thursday last week by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit officials backed by Internal Security Organization (ISO) personnel and Police.
The officials include Denis Okot, the Chief Finance Officer, George Odokonyero, the Accounting officer, George Nicholas Kidega, the former Acting Chief Finance Officer, and Denis Okwera, an accounting officer of the Pece-Laroo Division. Others are Bosco Otem, Pece-Laroo Division Treasurer, and his assistant Mark Francis Ocen.
They were charged with obtaining money by false pretense, theft, uttering false documents, forgery, and conspiracy to commit a felony.
According to Emmanuel Bunya, the State House Anti-Corruption Unit Communications Officer, the suspects had been accused of diverting revenue collected from street parking and Gulu City Abattoir.
He says the suspects had fleeced huge amounts of money from Waa General Traders, Gulu City Livestock Cooperatives, and saving credit Ltd without reflecting their revenue remittances on the government-integrated Revenue system (IRS).
David Ongom Mudong the Aswa River Region Police Spokesperson says that the suspects were granted police bond as police conduct further investigations. Mudong says the suspects files have been forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) in Kampala for further guidance.
According to Mudong some of the suspects are accused of fraudulently obtaining money worth 24.9 million shillings between January and June this year from Otoo John and Alfred Wokorach while another obtained 1.1 million shillings and uttered a false receipt.
He however disagreed on the amount of the funds embezzled arguing that it was based on assumption. Mudong notes that the exact amount will be ascertained after a thorough investigation.