Air force commander seeks plea bargain in sh1.8m fraud case

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A Uganda People's Defence Force Air Force (UPDAF) commander is seeking a plea bargain in a case in which he is accused of defrauding six civilians of cash amounting to over sh1.8m.

Battling six counts of obtaining goods by false pretence, RA/197217 Cpl Richard Abigaba, 41, attached to Entebbe Air Force as a Section Commander, has sought leave of court to enable him to reach an agreement with the state, including arrangements for compensating the victims he allegedly defrauded.

Through his lawyer, Elizabeth Nyasingwa, Abigaba told the General Court Martial (GCM), chaired by Col Frederick Kangwamu at Makindye in Kampala on April 7, 2026, that the plea bargain agreement would be ready on the next adjournment.

“My lords, the discussions on a plea bargain agreement are positive. We believe an agreement will be ready on the next adjournment, and we shall present it before this court. We are also engaging the victims to see how they will be compensated,” Nyasingwa told the court.

Nyasingwa’s remarks came after prosecution led by 2nd Lt Phillip Anthoney Olupot informed the court that they had not yet reached an amicable agreement with the accused, prompting the court to ask the defence to update it on the status of their earlier plea bargain assertions.

Plea bargain is a negotiated agreement in criminal law where an accused person pleads guilty to a lesser charge or receives a reduced sentence in exchange for avoiding a lengthy trial.

Abigaba is charged alongside civilian Moses Agaba, also known as Sengo Matias, 44, a peasant and resident of Ndugutu village, Bugoya subcounty in Kasese district.

The charge of obtaining goods by false pretence, to which the duo is charged and has denied, contravenes Section 285 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 128.

Under the law, any person who, by any false pretence and with intent to defraud, obtains from any other person anything capable of being stolen, or induces any other person to deliver anything capable of being stolen, commits a felony and is liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for a term of five years.

Charges

Prosecution alleges that between April 2024, while in Ndugutu village, Bugoya subcounty, Kasese district, Cpl Abigaba and civilian Agaba, by false pretence and with intent to defraud, obtained money amounting to sh200,000 belonging to Francis Opoka.

During the same time and place, the duo allegedly obtained sh310,000 belonging to Harriet Fuacan, sh340,000 belonging to Justin Ongyera Banja, sh325,000 belonging to Patric Okello, sh200,000 belonging to Latif Komakech, and sh480,000 belonging to Grace Ajigocan.

The case was adjourned to April 14, 2026.