Prisons is holding Kazinda legally – Baine

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Prisons Services has said that they are still holding the former principal accountant in the office of the prime minister, Geoffrey Kazinda legally.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, Frank Baine, the spokesperson of the Uganda Prisons Services said although the Anti-Corruption Court on Monday reiterated the ruling of the Constitutional Court of August that Kazinda cannot be charged on any offences relating to his employment at the Office of the Prime Minister, there is another file on which he was charged that is yet to be determined.

Justice Lawrence Gidudu on Monday ruled that the Director of Public Prosecution-DPP cannot charge Kazinda on any matters relating to his working with the OPM until the Supreme Court overturns or stays the execution of the order of the Constitutional Court quashing Kazinda’s prosecution.

“If the decision of the Constitutional Court is overturned or stayed by the Supreme Court, the DPP would be at liberty to reinstate the charges and have Kazinda tried, but for now, he is discharged,” Gidudu said.

But Baine said according to their record, the DPP has another case against Kazinda relating to the illicit acquisition of wealth which will be up for hearing by the Anti-Corruption Court in November.

“For us, every case that a person has a warrant to, it has a court order to it. We clear them according to the procedure. If we are saying two other cases were running, it means according to the framing of the charges, they were not part of the petition that was dismissed on Monday” Baine said.

Kazinda was arrested in 2012 over the misappropriation of over 50 Billion Shillings in the office of the Prime Minister. Since then, he has battled one corruption case after another but many of whom emanate from the same set of facts.

The Constitutional Court in a 4:1 majority ruling said the law prohibits a person from being charged on the same set of facts for which he was already convicted. The court ordered that all pending cases against Kazinda be dropped and then be let free from prison where he has spent eight years now.

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