By Spy Uganda
The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court has sentenced three Lira District Local Government officials to four years in prison each for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently acquire government land at Ireda Estate.
A private individual who facilitated the fraudulent transaction has also been sentenced to one year in prison.
The convicted officials are Opio Francis, the Lira District Staff Surveyor; Otike Pabius, the District Natural Resources Officer; and Ogwanga Joel, a Cartographer at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development’s Lira Zonal Office.
Atoo Rebecca, the sister of Opio Francis and the person in whose name the disputed land was registered, was sentenced to one year because she was not a public officer, although the court found that she facilitated the fraud.
The case stemmed from events between February and August 2019, when Lira District Local Government embarked on the process of obtaining a certificate of title for its land in Ireda Estate.
During the surveying process, Opio and Otike allegedly deliberately excluded a portion of the district’s land. With the assistance of Ogwanga, they subsequently fraudulently procured a Freehold Certificate of Title for Plot 3–5 Ben Emor Road, Ireda Estate, covering the excluded portion.
The title was then registered in the name of Atoo Rebecca.
After obtaining the title, Atoo reportedly sold the land to Olam Pius, with the convicted persons participating in and witnessing the transaction.
The matter was eventually brought before the Anti-Corruption Division on 20 June 2023 following investigations by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, working alongside the Criminal Investigations Directorate and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
After considering the evidence presented before it, the court found the accused persons guilty of abuse of office, fraudulent procurement of a certificate of title and conspiracy to defraud.
The three public officials were each handed four-year prison sentences and barred from holding public office for 10 years.
Atoo Rebecca was sentenced to one year in prison for her role in facilitating the fraudulent acquisition of the land.
The conviction underscores the growing scrutiny of public officials involved in the illegal acquisition and disposal of government land, as anti-corruption agencies intensify efforts to protect public assets from fraud and abuse of office.
