Former BOU official jailed over theft of old currency notes

_________________

The former Head of Verification at the Bank of Uganda (BOU) has been sentenced to three years for pilfering currency notes.

On October 31, 2024, the Nakasero-based Anti-Corruption Court, presided over by Grade One Magistrate Esther Asiimwe, convicted Charles Kasede Ochieng of abuse of office. However, he was acquitted of the embezzlement charge due to a lack of evidence.

Asiimwe noted that the allegation that Ochieng stole sh474m was not proved, as the prosecution failed to present any evidence showing that the bank incurred such a loss. She further stated that, upon review, the prosecution revised the alleged amount to sh62m, yet did not provide supporting evidence.

The court noted that although the exact amount lost could not be conclusively established, the magistrate relied on close-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing Ochieng taking old notes intended for destruction and pocketing them. 

The court stated that the act was an arbitrary abuse of his position.

In the close-circuit television (CCTV) footage presented by the prosecution as evidence, Ochieng is captured in a tense, his eyes darting over his shoulder, scanning the room with caution as he assesses his surroundings. His fingers quickly curl around bundles of currency notes before he slips them into his pocket with ease. After securing the money, he would walk away.

The court found that between November 2018 and August 2019, while employed as the Head of the Verification Unit at the Bank of Uganda's Mbale branch, Ochieng abused his office by engaging in arbitrary actions.

Asiimwe stated that the prosecution has proved the case beyond reasonable doubt that Ochieng committed the offense of abuse of office.

“This court finds that the ingredient of the offence of abuse of office has been proved and hereby convicts the accused as charged,” Asiimwe said.

Prosecution submission

State Attorney, Nicholas Kawooya, from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), requested the court to sentence Ochieng to three and a half years, stating that he had breached the trust of his employer.

He stated that Ochieng's act of taking the money demonstrated a corrupt intent from which he benefited.

“It is without a doubt that the convict abused his office. As a verification officer, he held a position of trust at the Bank of Uganda, the custodian of all the country's money, which holds its employees to high standards of integrity. 

The notes in question were meant for destruction; however, the convict chose to reintroduce them into circulation, an act that was detrimental to his employer," Kawooya stated.

Kawooya noted that the offence of abuse of office carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. According to sentencing guidelines, the starting point for the offence is three and a half years.

Defence submission

Arthur Mwebesa, the lawyer representing Ochieng, asked the court to show leniency and impose a non-custodial sentence. He argued that Ochieng, as the sole breadwinner, would leave his family in hardship if given a custodial sentence.

However, Magistrate Asiimwe agreed with the prosecution, emphasising the importance of sending a clear message that abuse of office is a serious crime warranting punishment to deter potential offenders.