Court in Uganda’s capital, Kampala has sentenced a state attorney who formerly worked in Arua District to one year imprisonment for soliciting a bribe.
Ms Rachael Nakyazze, a grade one magistrate at the Kololo-based court sentenced Mr Edward Bamulutira to Luzira prison for soliciting and receiving Shs400,000 so as to aid secure bail for a suspect.
“Having considered both submission of the state attorney and the convict, I find that he (Bamulutira) is a first time offender who has shown remorse. He was a public officer whose duty was to guide litigants but not to use their ignorance to take advantage of them,” Ms Nakyazze said before sentencing him.
Ms Nakyazze also ordered Bamulutira to pay a fine of Shs200,000, failure of which he is to spend six additional months in prison for the offence of soliciting the said money
Court heard that between May 22 and 27, 2012 in Arua District while employed by the DPP as a state prosecutor, Mr Bamulutira solicited and received a gratification of Shs400,000 from a one Moses Anguyo as an inducement to aid the release of his brother on bail following his arrest on charges of criminal trespass.
Prosecution led by Ms Daisy Acio asked court to give the convict a deterrent sentence that would act as a proper signal to other would be offenders.
”Corruption does not pay and is not a business and ordering for only a refund will not teach a lesson to the corrupted who will think that you only pay and be sent at liberty,” she said.
However the convict asked court to give him non-custodial sentence citing that he had learnt a lesson from this case and that he is ready to reform and advocate for a corrupt free country.
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