Kazinda Charged, Pleads Not Guilty
Embattled Former PA in the OPM Geoffrey Kazinda
Embattled former Principal Accountant in the Office of the Prime Minister was on Monday morning charged with 29 counts of forgery and unlawful possession of government documents.
Kazinda who was appearing before the anti-corruption Court presided over by Justice David Wangutusi for plea taking pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was remanded to Luzira Prison until January 7th.
The former PA who appeared frail and could barely stand was also accused of being in possession of computer generated letters.
Prosecution alleges that between the period 2011 and 2012, Kazinda was found in possession of documents with forged signatures of the PS.
The charges arise from the mismanagement scandal that has since rocked the Office of the Prime Minister in which government officials are alleged to have embezzled Shs 50 billion.
The money in question was meant for the peace and recovery development program of Northern Uganda from more than two decades of war.
Principal state Attorney Jane Francis Abodo had assembled a number of witnesses who included Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Pius Bigirimana.
Kazinda who was interdicted on August 10, 2012 is represented by McDusman Kabega and Isaac Walukagga.
This comes days after Geoffrey Kazinda sued the government for selective persecution. Last week, the former Principal Accountant filed a suit in the Constitutional Court seeking orders declaring the acts of government as discriminative and contrary to the Constitution.
He also wants Court to declare the protection of some officials including Permanent Secretary Pius Bigirimana as selective application of the law.
A special audit by the Auditor General discovered substantial evidence detailing how aid from Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark was transferred to unauthorised accounts. Over the past few years, several donor nations including the UK, Norway, Sweden, Ireland and Denmark, have provided in excess of Shs70 billion for reconstruction efforts in northern Uganda. The donors have since suspended aid over the scam.
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kazinda should be able to reveal all the muck in OPM. But he is frail and can hardly walk!! What a story!!
so the singnture of the p.s was forged. what a new twist in this case
Chief Accounting Officer Bigirimana the rope seem to be coming for you. This whistle blower thing, i don’t buy it at all. Why whistle blow after all these years of thieving under your “watch”????? is it incompetence, collusion or something bigger than that????
He should stop acting frail? This country Needs nothing from him just the truth to start with. He will soon start with this rich man rubbish namely diabetes, hi blood pressure, goitre, breast implants etc then complain of prison conditions, get bail and go to relax drive bentleys and cadilacs and other models then come back for ‘mention’ of the case, whatever that means. Why cant such people be handed over to wembley. Only then shall we believe government resolve on corrution.
Please question the PM also. A rotting fish starts from the head.