By Flavia Ajok
The Anti-Corruption Court has Wednesday convicted three Hoima district councilors on charges of forgery and abuse of office.
The trio Benson Chiche who is also the Buhanika Sub County Councilor, Jackson Mugenyi Mulindambura, the councilor for Kapaapi sub county and Geoffrey Kumakech, the District Secretary for Finance and Administration who is also the Buseruka Sub County Councilor were convicted by Joan Aciro, the Anti-Corruption court chief magistrate.
The three who were jointly accused with the former Hoima district engineer Ibrahim Luswata and the late Kadiri Kirungi, the former Hoima LCV chairman are accused of forgery which is contrary to sections 342 and 347 of the Penal Code Act Cap 120, uttering a false document contrary to sections 351 and 347 of the Penal Code Act and conspiracy to commit a felony.
The prosecution told the court that on August 28, 2021; the accused while at Hoima Cultural Lodge in Hoima district connived with and forged the District Executive Committee [DEC] minutes with intent to deceive, purporting the same had been made on June, 22nd 2021 during the DEC meeting.
They were also accused of intentionally uttering and fraudulently issuing a false document regarding the District Executive Committee [DEC] minutes to one, Bernard Ochaya while at the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in Entebbe on 30th August 2021, purporting to have been made during the DEC meeting on 22 June-2021 which was not true.
Trouble for the district leaders stemmed from the alleged misuse of road equipment that was impounded by the Police and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in late August 2021.
The equipment that includes a grader and a Vibro roller machine was found on a private farm owned by an Indian investor at Kaduku village in Kigumba Town Council, Kiryandongo district last month. At the time they were impounded, the grader and the Vibro roller had their number plates plucked off.
This led to the arrest of the Hoima District Engineer, Ibrahim Luswata, Vincent Irumba, the works supervisor, and Charles Tibagwa, a mechanic attached to Hoima district local government. They were accused of conniving with other district leaders to misuse the equipment.
Magistrate Aciro has Wednesday convicted Mulindambura, Komakech and Chiche saying prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the trio had forged the DEC minutes for their personal gains.
The magistrate sent the trio to Luzira Prison until Friday this week when they will appear for sentencing.
On April 5, 2022, Ibrahim Luswata, the former Hoima district engineer entered a plea agreement and pleaded guilty too the charges of abuse of office and causing a financial loss to government.
Justice Lawrence Gidudu of the same court found Luwata guilty, fined him Sh8m and banned him from holding public office for a period of ten years.
