By Sania Babirye
Anti corruption Judge Lawrence Gidudu is today expected deliver his judgement where former Principle Accountant in the Office of the Prime Minister, Geoffrey Kazinda and 3 others are charged with fraud and causing government a 316 billion loss in fueling non existence vehicles under the office of the prime minister in 2010.
Kazinda is charged alongside the service stations manager Caltex Ntinda Katumwa Hussein, Beatrice Kezabu the former clerk in the OPM office and Shamim Madembe who owns the petrol station.
These are charged with 5counts including Conspiracy to defraud, Embezzlement, fraudulent false accounting, forgery and uttering false documents.
According to Prosecution the money in question was meant to buy 5,000 liters of fuel for vehicles transporting relief food to disaster victims, in various districts, in 2010 but that Kazinda and Kezaabu allegedly made false entries claiming that Caltex Ntinda Service Station had supplied fuel to the Prime Minister's Office whereas not.
In June/2013 Kazinda was first convicted by the same court of forging then Permanent Secretary Pius Bigirimana's signature and sentenced to 5years which he completed in November 2016 but is still in Luzira prison because of these pending cases.
Even if Kazinda is set free on this case he will still remain I'm Luzira prison because he still has another case pending trial were he is jointly charged with officials from the Ministry of finance for allegedly misappropriating 21billion shillings worth PRDP funds meant to rehabilitate the war torn Northern Uganda.
Last month a court assessor asked court to acquit Kazinda and the service stations manger Caltex Ntinda Katumwa Hussein, saying they are not guilty of the offenses in which government lost 316 billion shillings in fueling non existence vehicles under the office of the prime minister.
Okech Vicent Ferrer told court that prosecution had failed to adduce evidence to prove that Kazinda did approve the payment of the forged fuel vouchers, which money he would later receive from Caltex Ntinda Service Station Manager Katumwa Hussein.
The assessor said that all alleged evidence that prosecution brought in court was just here say since prosecution also failed to bring any witness to pin Katumwa over the charges.
However the assessor advised court to instead convict the other two accused including Beatrice Kezaabu a Clerk in OPM on grounds that she was responsible for filling fuel orders of non existent motor vehicles in which government lost 316million shillings.
The other person is the owner of the said Petrol Station Shamim Masembe who denied ever sending Money to Kazinda through her manager Katumwa when she was cross examined.