Kazinda sentenced to 15 years in prison, to lose all property

COURT | CRIME 

The Anti-Corruption Court on Friday sentenced the former Principal Accountant in the Office of the Prime Minister, Geoffrey Kazinda, to 15 years in prison on three counts of forgery, illicit wealth, and financial loss.

Justice Margaret Tibulya, convicted and sentenced Kazinda to 15 years imprisonment after Prosecution proved its case that Kazinda rented Constellation Sheraton suites and apartments in Kampala for ten months at a cost of sh210 million.

Prosecution also proved its case that Kazinda had a house and land at Kyadondo, Mengo West valued at shs3.1bn, cars including BMW, Mercedes Benz, ML class, Dodge saloon car all valued at sh769 million and that he had diverted Government funds way beyond his salary.

"The maximum sentence for each of the counts is 10 years but considering the five years you have spent on remand; I have deducted the period to sentence you to five years for each of the three counts. You will serve the punishments consecutively and in total, you will serve 15 years," Justice Tibulya ruled.

In a landmark ruling on the properties of corrupt individuals, the Judge directed that all properties of Kazinda be confiscated noting that criminals should not enjoy the fruits of their deeds.

"Courts cannot allow convicts to enjoy fruits of their conduct and allowing them to retain proceeds of their crime would be unfair. At such a time when the country is struggling to pay debts over such people, a custodial sentence is inevitable."

The judge directed that Kazinda's house and land at Kyadondo, Mengo West and all cars including BMW, Mercedes Benz, ML class, Dodge be confiscated by the state.

Kazinda had been charged with maintaining a standard of living (200m) not commensurate with his known sources of income.  

He was also charged for being in possession of property estimated at the value of sh4b not proportional to his current or known sources of income.

In August this year, the Constitutional Court directed the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala to discharge the former Principle Accountant of all offences levelled against him.

The panel of five justices led by Stephen Musota, also granted all the declarations Kazinda sought in the petition and issued an order permanently prohibiting the state from using any process of court to initiate and prosecute Kazinda for any offences founded on the same facts in connection with his former employment.

Others on the panel are Kenneth Kakuru, Geoffrey Kiryabwire, Cheborion Barishaki, and Ezekiel Muhanguzi, who is now a Supreme Court Judge.

Kazinda had sought declarations that the manner in which he was brought to court without giving him a chance to handover and to appear for audit and in Parliament was unlawful.

The Anti-Corruption court discharged Kazinda of all the cases but maintained that of maintaining a standard of living not commensurate with his known sources of income.  

He was also charged for being in possession of property not proportional to his current or known sources of income.