The Anti-Corruption Court has convicted Bugweri District Local Government Human Resource Officer Wilson Byekwaso for causing a financial loss of Shs125.37 million to the Government by creating three ghost employees on the public payroll.
Byekwaso was convicted by Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Paul Mujuni after he pleaded guilty to the charges following the presentation of incriminating evidence against him.
The court ordered him to refund Shs125.37 million to the Government and pay a fine of Shs3.26 million, with a seven-year jail term in default.
He was also barred from holding public office for 10 years from the date of conviction.
Court heard that on September 19, 2022, Byekwaso used his access as a Human Resource Officer to enter the names of Kadijja Namusubo, Policap Mukisa and Robert Muziraki into the Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPS), indicating that they were newly recruited employees of Bugweri District Local Government.
The three were purportedly posted to Busembatia Secondary School, despite never having been recruited or employed by the district.
The prosecution said the entries were also made without following the required procedures for adding staff to the IPPS.
As a result, the three individuals received government salaries amounting to Shs125.37million between November 2022 and February 2024, with the money paid through their accounts at DFCU Bank.
Investigations by the Inspectorate of Government established that the three were not Government employees, while their employment records could not be traced at Bugweri District Local Government.
Investigators further established that the three had never worked as teachers at Busembatia Secondary School.
Byekwaso changed his plea to guilty after the prosecution presented evidence linking him to the creation of the three ghost employees, leading to his conviction and sentencing.
