Also charged and remanded is Mr Stephen Kunsa Kiwanuka, the former Director Research & Development.

The suspects who appeared before the Anti Corruption Court in Kololo, an upscale suburb of Kampala, were responding to earlier summons of the court sent out to them last week.

This was after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) reinstated the pension charges, four months later, following resounding  public outcry after the initial pension case of Shs165 billion was dismissed by the same court citing failure by prosecution to adduce even a single witness in court, two years on.

According to the charge sheet presented to court Wednesday, the suspects face charges ranging from; causing financial loss, abuse of office, false accounting to conspiracy to defraud the government.

They denied all the charges slapped against them by the DPP.

But presiding Chief Magistrate Sarah Langa Siu decided to remand them after the prosecution led by principle state attorney Jane Abodo presented to court a summary of the case saying investigations were complete and that they should be committed to the High Court to stand trial.

The presiding magistrate explained that her court did not have jurisdiction to entertain any applications for bail by the suspects once they were committed to the High Court for trial.

Ms Langa’s refusal to entertain the suspects bail application saw lead defense lawyer Nsubuga Mubiru who wanted to secure bail for his clients locked in a verbal hot exchange with the magistrate.

The prosecution in its charge sheet states that in the financial years 2010/11 and 2011/12, the suspects in their various employment capacities, did an act of prejudicial to the interest of their employer by making budgetary provisions of over Shs88 billion as NSSF contribution while knowing that that civil servants are exempted from contributing to NSSF.

Mr Lwamafa and group can only apply for bail in the High Court.