Former Principal Accountant in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Geoffrey Kazinda was sentenced to another 15 years in jail by the High Court for illicit enrichment.
Kazinda who has already spent 8 years in Luzira Prison for Forgery, Embezzlement and Causing Financial Loss to Government, yesterday appeared before Anti-Corruption Court Judge Magret Tibulya who found him guilty of the said crimes saying he has not shown any sign of remorsefulness throughout the trial yet crimes that involve money and assets call for it.
The Judge also noted that she could not allow a convict of such a crime to enjoy his proceeds of crime as it promotes money laundering and renders Government efforts of fighting corruption useless.
The Judge therefore ordered that Kazinda’s Shs 4.3Bn property be confiscated by the IGG and that he is barred from accessing public office for a period of 10 years.
The Judge however advised Kazinda who didn’t want a custodial sentence because of the many years he has been in prison leaving behind his 81 year old mother and school going children unattended to, to appeal against the Court decision in 14 days.
This offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years on each count but Justice Tibulya sentenced Kazinda to 5 years imprisonment on each count and ruled that the sentence runs consecutively.
Justice Tibulya yesterday morning convicted Kazinda on 3 counts of illicit enrichment.
This after the Head of Prosecution in IGG’s Office, Ms Sarah Birungi proved that between 2009 and 2012 Kazinda was in control and possession of Shs. 210M which he spent on renting apartments from Sheraton Hotel for a period of 10 months, four motor vehicles worth Shs 769M and Shs 3.6Bn worth of land that Kazinda illicitly accumulated while in office all of which accumulated wealth totals to Shs 4.6Bn.
