Lira CAO Otim Ogwete arrested over fraud, abuse of office

By Denis Okello (Denis.okello@vol.co.ug)

Lira

Detectives from the State House Anti-corruption Unit have arrested the Chief Administrative Officer of Lira District, Ben Paul Otim Ogwete over allegations of abuse of office, fraud and willful neglect of duty.

For some time now, Otim Ogwete has been on and off from his office in what some critics say was an attempt to elude arrest from the anti-graft body led by Brigadier General Henry Isoke.

Highly placed sources who are privy to the matter, intimated to Voice of Lango Fm that the flamboyant CAO was arrested on Monday evening and driven to Kampala where he will record statement and later on taken to the Kololo based anti-corruption court to take plea.

The elderly CAO who bade farewell to his colleagues at Lira District last month and was set to retire in three weeks from now faces a litany of charges including abuse of office, fraud and corruption.

Otim’s problem stems from the alleged numerous fraudulent sale of public land in Ireda, Lira City East Division.

Ogwete Otim is now the highest ranking district official to be arrested from Lira over issues concerning fraudulent sale of the government land.

The other top district officials who are battling charges in court include; the district natural resource officer Fabious Otike and  senior lands officer Joseph Ocen Alwong.

The head of legal at the State House Anticorruption Unit, Samuel Arinaitwe confirmed to Voice of Lango FM Monday evening that Otim was arrested by their team and will be presented before the court as investigation into his case has been completed.

According to Arinaitwe, Otim defied directive to suspend the district land board issued last year in March by the Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba and continued to superintend over land transactions in the district.

His case file has since been opened at CID headquarters under Ref E/180/2022