The woman who was accused of attempting to bribe Eastern Uganda Youth MP, Peter Ogwang has been released on Police bond.
According to Paul Kato, the commissioner of police at Parliament, Agnes Maria Namatovu was released on Tuesday, August 28, on police bond. The Police have, however, not pressed any charges against the woman saying investigations are still underway. Kato could not establish when Namatovu would be expected back to report back to Police, since he was out of office.
Kato says Namatovu faces possible charges of attempting to commit a felony and impersonation.
The impersonation charge will arise if it is proved that the suspect was using another person’s name believed to work in the Ministry of Water.
While communicating with the legislator, the suspect identified herself as Rose but upon her arrest an expired identification card with the name Agnes Maria Namatovu was recovered. The ID was from Ministry of water. Also recovered from the suspect was an appointment letter in the same name from Ministry of Public Service.
Kato says Police is still investigating whether Namatovu was in a conspiracy with other suspects at large.
But the case lacks any evidence. Sources that declined to be named say that MP Ogwang should have first helped the case by gathering evidence of the attempted bribery. The MP instead rushed to report the matter when there was no evidence and no established motive to bribe him.
MP Ogwang, in a phone interview with URN, says he was afraid of being trapped by the woman and her accomplices. He had to act fast and hand over the woman to Police before the tables could be turned on him. To him, the woman sounded like one not to be trusted right from the conversations they had before meeting physically. The MP has already made a statement with Police and will be interested in pursuing the matter when he returns to Uganda from Mombasa, Kenya, next week.
Namatovu was picked up from Parliament on Monday where she had gone to meet MP Ogwang allegedly to bribe him to drop the evidence against the interdicted officials from the office of the primeminister. Police has not established any link between her and the officials currently on remand.
They are Geoffrey Kazinda, the principal accountant Prime Minister’s office, John Martin Owor, the Commissioner Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Management and Beatrice Kezab, the Assistant Resettlement Officer. The trio appeared before the anti-corruption court recently but were released on court bond.
