Senior Police officer jailed nine years, barred from public office for 10 years over corruption

The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has sentenced to nine year imprisonment a senior police officer after being found guilty of being involved in corrupt tendencies.

Superintendent of Police Geoffrey Leo Ogwok who previously served as the Yumbe DPC was arrested and charged with  embezzling shs6 million that was meant for allowances for his junior police officers.

Whereas the DPC was supposed to distribute the money, it never reached the beneficiaries but he forged accountability receipts.

On arrest, Ogwok was charged with false accountability contrary to section 22, embezzlement contrary to section 19 and abuse of office contrary to section 12 of the Anti-Corruption Act 2009.

Whereas the senior police officer denied the charges, prosecution produced 13 witnesses who pinned him on embezzling the funds meant for security guards.

Conviction

Earlier this week, Anti- Corruption Grade one magistrate Moses Nabende convicted the senior police officer.

“It is proved that the accused person had the authority due to the office he held as the DPC and had authority to receive allowances from Electoral Commission and distribute the same to the police officers who performed their duties. He did contrary act by furnishing false accountability which act was prejudicial to the interest of his employer and government of Uganda,” the magistrate said.

“It is my finding that the actions of not paying the allowances to the beneficiaries, uttering false accountabilities and subsequent acts of falsification of signatures amount to abuse of office and the power that was vested in him. ln the result, I find the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused abused office. The accused is found guilty and he is convicted on all the three counts.”

Punishment

Consequently, the Anti-Corruption Court sentenced the senior police officer to one year imprisonment for false accountability, five years for embezzlement and three years for abuse of office to make it nine years in total.

The magistrate however noted that the sentences will run concurrently and this means he will serve only five years but he has also been asked to refund the shs6 million that he embezzled.

On top of the two punishments, the court also barred Ogwok from holding any public office for a period of 10 years.

The senior police officer will serve the jail term from Kitalya government prison.

The development means the senior police officer will also be dismissed from the police force.