Company director jailed over embezzling sh200m

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KAMPALA - The director of Invent Techniques Ltd has been sentenced to one year imprisonment for embezzling shillings 202 million.

In a ruling dated April 24, 2024, Anti-Corruption Court grade one magistrate Esther Asiimwe, also ordered Joseph Opus Ariko to pay the money to the complainants: Ludwig Ocung and Abbas Thabiti Onzi, also the directors of the company.

The magistrate handed over the sentence to Ariko after finding him guilty of embezzlement, forgery, and uttering false documents.

The court heard that the convict forged a board resolution, which he used to open an account with Bank of Africa, through which he stole the money (shillings 202,922,197), which he received on the account of his company.

“I find that sh202m received on Bank of Africa Account NO. 0140720002 in the name of Invent Techniques Limited March 26, 2018, to which the convict was the sole signatory,” Asiimwe ruled.

According to the magistrate, prosecution's evidence showed that in respect of the Kitgum works, Invent Techniques Ltd was expecting payment through its Housing Finance Bank account. Invent Techniques Ltd had got a contract from UMEME to upgrade the Kitgum substation.

However, the other directors: Ludwig and Onzi waited for the money in vain. Unknown to them, the convict had opened up an account in Bank of Africa in the name of Invent Techniques, and requested the head of finance UMEME to pay through it instead.

The magistrate noted that there was no evidence to show that the money was put to company use as alleged by the convict.