Newly elected Member of Parliament for Apac Municipality, Patrick Ocan’s popularity could have come at a bigger cost for himself than the immediate benefits he expected.
Ocan, stood on the UPC ticket and obliterated his competitors in a landslide victory, but he could be headed to prison instead of parliament.
While his supporters carried him shoulder high and the media gave him coverage, his former employees at Centenary Bank were taking note, for he is the man they have been looking for 12 years now.
Accordingly, Ocan went missing following an embezzlement case at the bank branch in Nakivubo where he was attached. The bank claims that Ocan then failed to account for Shs 25m missing in the treasury.
Ocan then after interrogation had claimed he was duped in a fake dollar scam. He was consequently dragged to court but he disappeared. The case would later stall after several arrest warrants from Buganda Road Court failed to reach Ocan. In the end his file was closed and case shelved, only for him to show up in victory celebrations as Apac MP.
Now well aware who and where Ocan is, the bank has written to Buganda Road Court requesting for the case to be re-opened.
In a letter dated 23 July 2018 by the Manager Investigations at Centenary Bank, Mr Henry Ssenkeezi, the bank wants a new “arrest warrant issued (to Ocan) to allow prosecution process take course as soon as possible.”
The letter titled: “Request to reinstate case Uganda Vs Patrick Ocan Buganda Road Court Case No.510/2006,” also seeks to have the case reinstated.
“The above case was opened by Centenary Bank on 23 November 2006 at CPS Kampala vide CRB 1741/2006. Buganda road court reference number 510/2006, charges sanctioned but was later dismissed on 27 November 2006 because the accused could not be traced,” the letter reads in part.
“However, we have been able to trace and identify the whereabouts of the suspect (Mr Ocan Patrick) and therefore request for the case to be reinstated and new warrant of arrest issued, to allow the prosecution process to take course as soon as possible,” the letter continues.