The chairperson of Parish Development Model (PDM) SACCO, Edoni Bernard, has been remanded after he was charged with extortion by the Chief Magistrate Court in Arua City.

It is alleged that Edoni, the Chairperson PDM of Pangisa ward in Arua City, extorted by selling fake copies of the PDM Constitution to the 50 groups of associations under Pangisa ward.

According to a charge sheet presented to court by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit’s prosecution team, in July 2023, Edoni and others, still at large, convened a meeting with the 50 PDM associations in Pangisa Ward in Arua City and demanded each group pay UGX 15,000, allegedly for the purchase of PDM constitutions.

“Edoni, who is directly responsible for mobilization of the groups, extorted the UGX15,000, claiming that it was for printing, and went ahead to sell fake constitutions to the members,” reads the report.

Edoni has been remanded until December 5, 2023.

The State House Anti-Corruption Unit and other security agencies have in recent months intensified their investigation into extortion, which has become a common vice across the country.