Former Principal Accountant in OPM Geoffrey Kazinda sentenced to another 15 years
6th/November/2020
Former Principal Accountant in the Office of the Prime Minister; Geoffrey Kazinda is sentenced to another 15 years in jail for illicit enrichment.
Kazinda who has already spent 8years in Luzira prison for forgery, Embezzlement and Causing Financial Loss to Government; today appeared before Anticorruption court Judge Magret Tibulya who found him guilty of the said Crime saying he has not shown any sign of remorsefulness throughout the trial yet crimes that involve money and assets call for it.
The Judge also noted that she could not allow a convict of such a crime to enjoy his proceeds of crime as it promotes money laundering and renders Government efforts of fighting Corruption useless.
The Judge therefore ordered that Kazinda’s 4.3billion shilling Property be confiscated by the IGG and that he is barred from accessing public office for a period of 10years.
The Judge however; advised Kazinda who didn’t want a custodial sentence because of the many years he has been in prison leaving behind his 81year old mother and School going children unattended to; to appeal against the Court decision in 14days.
This offence carries a maximum sentence of 10years on each count but Justice Tibulya sentenced Kazinda to 5years imprisonment on each count and ruled that the sentence runs consecutively.
This was the only remaining IGG case against Kazinda after the Constitutional court halted all DPP cases against Kazinda in August this year.
Justice Tibulya this morning convicted Kazinda on 3 counts of illicit enrichment.
This after the Head of Prosecution in IGG’s Office; Sarah Birungi proved that between 2009 and 2012 Kazinda was in control and possession of 210mshs which he spent on renting apartments from Sheraton hotel for a period of 10mths; four motor vehicles worth 769mshs; and 3.6billion shs Land Kazinda illicitly accumulated while in office all of which accumulated wealth totals to 4.6billion shs.
To the IGG; Kazinda had only declared his Salary and allowances amounting to 83.7mshs as his known source of income.
But one of the Prosecution Witnesses that testified against Kazinda was George Byaruhanga a friend to Kazinda’s late father who produced a Will pertaining the exact properties of Kazinda’s father minus the 3.6billion shs Land Kazinda illicitly accumulated while in office.
