Three Senior Staff at Divine Bus Company jailed over theft of Shs100m

ADJUMANI, UGANDA: The Adjumani Magistrate grade one court yesterday [February 22, 2022] remanded the manager of Divine Bus Company Akuku Victor Chandiga to Openzinzi prison after he was charged with three offenses of Theft, forgery, and issuance of false documents.

Mr. Chandiga Akuku 36, was convicted with two sales clerks; a one Jesca Nanyumba, and Drichi Christopher.

Prosecution alleged that the three employees between March 1, 2021 and October 20, 2021, stole cash amounting to shs 100,735,000, from Divine Bus Company. Additionally, prosecution also alleged that the three persons also Forged receipts of the Bus Company and uttered false receipts to passengers.

Nanyumba Jesca and Drichi Christopher both pleaded guilty to all the three charges while the former manager Akuku Victor Chandiga denied the charges.

Magistrate grade one, Nantawo Agnes said court had convicted the two who pleaded guilty on their own plea of guilty, but stayed passing of the sentence because prosecution was not ready with facts of the offenses.

The three were all remanded to Openzinzi prison till March 1, 2022, when court will pronounce the sentence on Nanyumba Jesca and Drichi Christopher, while Akuku Victor Chandiga will be produced in court for mention of his case.

The Proprietor of Divine Bus Company Richard Madrara was in court and attempted to ask court to set free the two former staffs who pleaded guilty since they were remorseful and did not waste court’s precious time.
However, the magistrate said it is unprocedural and court cannot set free the convicts without reading and confirmation of the brief facts of the offences and advised him to make a submission in the office of the resident state attorney.

In a related development, Adjumani magistrate’s court sentenced a South Sudanese woman to a caution of never repeat the offence after she pleaded guilty to the Offence of obtaining goods by false presence.

The resident state attorney told court that Inyaa Eunice aged 28, a resident of Mokolo village in Adropi Sub County, between March and November 2020, obtained building materials worth shs 4m, from the hardware of Obulejo Michael, a businessman in Adjumani town.

The accused person Inyaa Eunice, pleaded guilty and disclosed to court that, the husband who stays in America sent the money, but she invested the money in a business which collapsed miserably.

In mitigation counsel Acham Elizabeth of LDC legal aid, told court that the offender is remorseful and a mother, and that she has already reconciled with the complainant and prayed to court for clemency.