The State House Anti-Corruption Unit in partnership with Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arraigned a businessman before the Lira Chief Magistrates Court on charges of Fraudulent Procurement of Certificate of Title and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
The suspect, identified as Anthony Ojuka was recently arrested by detectives working with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, and on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, he was arraigned in court and subsequently remanded until December 21, 2023.
According to the statement released on November 21, 2023, the accused and others who are still at large conspired and fraudulently procured registration on a freehold certificate of title on government land, plot 17 Ben Emor Road at Ireda Estate between the months of February 2019 and September 2020 at Lira Lands Office in Lira district.
“It is alleged that between 2017 and 2019, Lira District Executive Committee used the Council to pass an impugned resolution to have the said land titled but also leave out part of it on claims that it had been encroached on,” the statement read in part.
The statement stated that, the part that was left out was instead shared amongst the political and technical staff of the district and Ojuka was one of the political leaders among many others who passed the disputed resolution, and registered the share he got in the name of his sister identified as Hilda Atino.
The statement also revealed that according to the investigations carried out, there were no encroachers on the land as it was alleged at the time the resolution was passed, but the intention of the leaders was to steal government land.
Court had earlier summoned Jofram Waidhuuba, the former Deputy Town Clerk Jinja to appear in court on November 30, 2023, on allegations of fraudulently procuring a Certification of Title between 2018 and 2022, as the Director of M/S God Will Agencies Limited which was the property of Jinja Municipal Council.
On September 5, 2023, Hidaya Nassolo was arraigned before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court on charges of Forgery and Uttering False document.
According to the Law, anyone convicted under section 11(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act may face a prison sentence of up to seven years, a fine not exceeding shilling 5.3 million. Likewise, an individual found guilty under section 190(1) for fraudulent procurement of a certificate of title could be sentenced to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years.
