The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Lira District, Ben Paul Otim Ogwete, has been arrested by detectives from the State House Anti-corruption Unit over allegations of abuse of office, fraud, and willful neglect of duty.
The arrest comes after Otim had been on and off from his office in what is believed to have been an attempt to evade arrest. He was taken to Kampala where he is expected to record a statement and later on taken to the anti-corruption court to take a plea.
Otim’s alleged fraudulent sale of public land in Ireda, Lira City East Division, led to his arrest. He faces numerous charges and is the highest-ranking district official to be arrested from Lira over issues regarding the fraudulent sale of government land.
Other top district officials, including the district natural resource officer Fabious Otike and senior lands officer Joseph Ocen Alwong, are also battling charges in court.
The head of legal at the State House Anticorruption Unit, Samuel Arinaitwe, confirmed the arrest and stated that investigation into Otim’s case has been completed.
Otim defied the 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, according to Arinaitwe.
Otim’s case file has since been opened at the CID headquarters under Ref E/180/2022. Otim was due to retire in three weeks’ time.
