Kazinda convicted again for stealing OPM funds

Uganda’s Anti-Corruption Court has convicted the former Principle Accountant in the Office of the Prime Minister  (OPM) Geoffrey Kazinda and three other people. He was sentenced to five years in jail.

They were on Wednesday found guilty of conspiracy to defraud government of sh316 million worth of fuel drawn by ghost vehicles of the Office of the Prime Minister, that were meant to carry relief to disaster victims.

Kazinda together with a Clerk in the OPM Beatrice Keezabu unlawfully used their positions to process this payment.

Other convicts Shamim Masembe, the proprietor of former Caltex fuelling station in Ntinda and Hussein Katumwa, the station manager, have also been found guilty of aiding the two  government officials to steal public funds.

Presiding Judge Lawrence Gidudu ruled that prosecution has led satisfactory evidence against the accused persons who formed a common intension to defraud government.

They are to be penalized for conspiracy to defraud, embezzlement, fraudulent accounting, forgery and uttering false documents.

This is the second time Kazinda is convicted by the Anti-Corruption Court the first one being In June 2013 when he was found guilty of forging the then Permanent Secretary Pius Bigirimana’s signature and was sentenced to five years which he has since completed.

Kazinda however still has a pending case file for trial where he is jointly charged with officials of the Finance Ministry for allegedly misappropriating sh21 billion from the NRDP funds meant to rehabilitate the war torn Northern Uganda.