The Chief Magistrates Court sitting in Lira city has charged a local businessman, Geoffrey Etwop, and subsequently remanded him to Lira Central Government Prison.

Etwop, who is also the Lira District NRM party treasurer, was remanded until February 5, 2024, when he will reappear before the same court.

Etwop, who appeared before the Lira District Chief Magistrate, HW Samson Loum Abiti, on Friday, February 2, 2024, is accused of fraudulent procurement of a certificate of land title for plots 16–18 along Soroti Road in Lira city.

The prosecution alleges that Etwop presented a letter dated December 23, 2019, to the District Land Board between 2017 and 2020, purporting that the Physical Planning Committee of Lira Municipal Council had approved his application to be granted a freehold title for Plot 16-18 Soroti Road Camp Swahili, Central Division, under minute number LMC PPC 083/12/2019, which was not true.

An attempt by Etwop to secure court bail through his lawyer, Robert Irumba of Tian and Company Advocates, failed when the court rejected his application.

Etwop is being jointly accused with some Lira city officials of connivance and fraudulent purchase of three plots of land belonging to the city land located along the Lira-Soroti highway, commonly known by the locals as Tipper.

He was arrested on Thursday, February 1, 2024, by police detectives from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and later driven to Lira City to appear in court.

In November 2023, a prominent businessman, Lawrence Okello, aka Energy Okello, was arrested by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and was later charged and remanded for weeks to Lira Central Government Prison.

Okello is accused of fraudulently titling part of National Forestry Authority (NFA) land along Kitgum Road in Lira city, where he is currently operating a petrol station.