A court in Kampala has convicted three senior government officials for embezzling $24.5 million (USh88.2bn) in pension funds.

The Anti-corruption court found the former permanent secretary Jimmy Lwamafa, 61, former principal accountant Chris Obey and former Public Service director for research and development Stephen Kunsa Kiwanuka, 58, guilty of causing financial loss and abuse of office.

The verdict comes four months after court dismissed a related charge involving some $44.9 million against the trio due to lack evidence.

Neglect of duty

The ruling Friday morning followed a trial that dragged for over one and a half years.

The trio went on trial in August 2015 on charges which included embezzlement, neglect of duty, theft and conspiracy to defraud the government, allegedly committed between 2010-2012.

Presiding Judge Lawrence Gidudu, while convicting the three, said the money was syphoned out in a well calculated syndicate initiated at the Ministry of Public Service, modified at the Ministry of Finance, perfected at the Bank of Uganda and executed by Cairo Bank.

To pay back

The trio were sentenced as follows; Lwamafwa to 10 years, Kunsa to 5 years, Obey to 10 years and ordered to pay back $13.9 million.

The state had argued that the $24.5 million was budgeted for as contribution to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), an item the ministry ordinarily does not provide for.