The Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has withdrawn money laundering charges against human rights lawyer, Nicholas Opiyo.

Opiyo, the executive director of Chapter Four Uganda, a human rights organisation, was charged before the Anti-Corruption Court on allegations of money laundering contrary to section 3(c) 116 and 136 (1) (a) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act as amended.

The withdrawal is dated September 10, 2021, addressed to the chief magistrate Anti-Corruption Court, the DPP Jane Frances Abodo.

“This is to inform the court that the DPP has decided to discontinue proceedings against Nicholas Opiyo,” Abodo wrote, without going into details.

The charges

In December last year, Opiyo was arrested and charged with money laundering. It was alleged that Opiyo acquired $340,000 (about sh2b) through his organisation’s account on October 8, 2020, knowing at the time of receipt of the said funds that they were proceeds of crime.

The 38-year-old was picked from a restaurant in Kampala by plainclothes security operatives. He was detained with four others; Herbert Dakasi, Anthony Odur, Esomu Obure, and Hamid Tenywa.

The other four were released on a police bond, but they were asked to report at the Kireka-based Special Investigations Division, a unit under the Criminal Investigations Directorate.

But Opiyo was on December 24, 2020, arraigned before the Anti-Corruption court and charged with money laundering, before he was remanded to Kitalya prison. He was, however, released on bail on December 30, 2020.       

Opiyo’s organisation (Chapter Four Uganda) and several other human rights organisations branded the charges against the lawyer as being frivolous and an act of harassment, and they appealed to the state to drop the charges.