Bangirana Jailed 3 Years For Sh74m Theft

ONE time senior Police woman officer and court bailiff, Pauline Bangirana, is to serve a three-year prison term for stealing over sh74m from the High Court of Uganda, reports Hillary Kiirya. Presiding over the judgement, Buganda Road Court Grade One magistrate Lydia Mugambe said, “The Prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt all the required ingredients of offence of theft. I am left with only the option to convict the accused with theft of sh75.1m as required by law.” State Attorney Tadeo Asiimwe pleaded, “It is my humble prayer to this court that the convict be sentenced to 10 years in prison as a deterrent signal to other bailiffs who may also want to do the same.”He said the convict throughout the trial was not repentant. He said she had turned the trial into a joke. “She is a smart fraudulent person who knew what she was doing as shown in her and prosecution evidence and being a retired Police officer, she shouldn’t have done this,” Asiimwe said. He said the convict deserved a deterrent sentence so as to save the public from such fraudulent acts.But Gerald Kakuba, the defence council, also submitted that the convict is a first offender and as such being a person of advanced age, a maximum sentence was not the best for her. “Court should also take into consideration the distinguished service the convict rendered the Police,” he pleaded.Ends