Three Charged for Stealing UGX 21Billion Worth of Drugs

The accused include, Jane Frances Olinga, 37 the Executive Director of Women in development, a Community Based Organization, Ivan Luswata, 33 a customer and a warehouse delivery manager at the Joint Medical Stores, and Owiny Proscovia, 35 a customer and Relations Assistant at the Joint Medical Stores.

The three appeared before Rhona Tukundane the Chief Magistrate at Makindye Court to take plea over the four charges leveled against them including theft of government drugs, conspiracy to commit a felony, and storage of Classified drugs among others.

They all pleaded not guilty to the alleged offenses and were remanded to Luzira government prison.

Prosecution alleges that Jane Frances Oling, Luswata Ivan,Onying Prosscovia and others at large still while working at Joint Medical Stores between late 2019 and march 2022 in Kampala district stole donated medicines valued at over sh21 billion being a property of the government of Uganda.

Prosecution led by Charlotte Nanziri told court that investigations in the matter were still on-going, thus asking court for more time.

Although the defense lawyer Dorothy Naluwugu had asked for the accused to be granted bail,  court declined to attend to their application.

They were remanded till 15^th March 2022, when court will hear their bail application.

The three were arrested by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit on 27th February 2022 after a whistle blower tipped off the Unit. A raid on Jane Frances Oling’s home by the Unit recovered boxes of drugs under a bed, the sitting room, bed room, kitchen and in the latrine.

During interrogations Jane Frances Oling didn’t have the certified copies which allow her to be in possession of gov’t drugs including the MOU with the supplying company which pointed to fraud.