The Anti-Corruption Court has today, May 10th, 2023, convicted and sentenced Abilla Okello, a radiologist at Arua Regional Hospital, to 10 years in prison for illegally obtaining and using diagnosis equipment for the TB X-ray machine.
The Statehouse Anti-Corruption Unit, in liaison with Uganda Police, had earlier, on February 10th, 2022, arrested and arraigned Abilla together with three other people at the Anti-Corruption Court on a charge of embezzlement of Arua Referral Hospital Equipment.
The West Nile Region Police spokesperson, Josephine Angucia, identified the suspects as Okello Abila, a radiographer; Alex Okello, and Benard Olul, who are storekeepers.
The suspects were arrested after Hillary Onziga, the in-charge of the TB ward and X-ray machine, reported to police that the components of the X-ray were missing.
According to Angucia, Abila reportedly took the components, which include a laptop and a Samsung Galaxy tablet, to Furaha Link Ventures Limited, a financial institution in Arua City, to secure a loan of Shs1.2 million.
The x-ray and its components had been donated by the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau (UCMB), the technical arm of the Health Commission of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, for T.B. management.
Abilla Okello will be barred from serving in the Ugandan government for at least ten years after completing his sentence at Luzira Maximum Prison.
