Police officer fired over sh500,000 bribe

COURT | POLICE | CORRUPTION: A Police detective has lost his job for receiving a sh500,000 bribe from Isaac Ojok. According a court ruling, issued Tuesday (June 15, 2021).

The Alebtong district former investigative officer, Cpl. Maxwell Ocen, received the money from Ojok as an inducement not to prefer charges against him under the Traffic Road and Safety Act.

In addition to losing his job, the Anti-Corruption Court Grade One Magistrate, Moses Nabende, also directed that the convict pays sh3.6m fine or serves two years jail term.

Ocen paid the money to avoid being sent to Luzira Prisons.

“Prosecution proved all the ingredients of soliciting a gratification of sh500,000 against the accused,” Nabende noted.

The magistrate said he read the entire evidence and found that there was exchange of gratification for purpose of discharging prosecution witness Ojok of a traffic charge.

The magistrate said the convict committed the act in the process of performance of his duties.

“Whereas it was submitted by defence that the case file was before the state and as such whatever was done was not in the course of the convict’s duties, this is not true because the case file was found in Ojok’s office,” he noted.

Nabende said the convict being a public official had an undertaking to perform public function as a traffic officer in Alebtong district, a duty he did not fulfill.

The court heard that D/Cpl. Kenneth Otto Kaudda, an offcer attached to Professional Standard Unit (PSU), headed the team that arrested Onen when he solicited for money.

Kaudda handed sh500,000 to Ojok and kept monitoring until the convict received the money. The magistrate said it was not in dispute that money was found in the convict’s office.

“In his defence, the convict admitted seeing the money scattered in his office and was forced to collect it and count,” Nabende noted.

The suit 

Prosecution says the convict on March 7 and 15, 2017 in Alebtong district, being employed in Public Service as an officer in charge of criminal investigations and intelligence department attached to Alebtong Police Station, solicited and received a gratification of sh500,000 from Ojok as an inducement not to prefer charges against him.

After arrest, Ocen was charged with two counts of corruption under Section 2(a) and 26 of the Anti-Corruption Act, 2009.

The prosecution presented 10 witnesses to prove their case while the accused, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, called no witnesses and gave his evidence on Oath.