Ex-govt worker arrested at wedding over embezzling Shs12m

Police in Masindi District have arrested the former accountant of Kijunjubwa Sub-county, who according to the Masindi security committee has been on the run for six months for embezzling Shs12 million.

Masindi Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Emmy Ngabirano, who also doubles as the head of security, said Geoffrey Bainomugisha was arrested at a wedding in Masindi Town.

“We have been following him closely ever since both sub county and district leadership discovered that he misappropriated money. On Saturday, our informers alerted us that he was at a wedding function, and we coordinated with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to make the arrest,” Ngabirano said.

According to Ngabirano, the accused had fraudulent activities involving forging checks and signatures to withdraw funds amounting to Shs12 million from the sub-county’s account and for the last six months, Bainomugisha was reportedly hiding in Kampala.

Security sources say he had relocated to Uganda’s capital after he reportedly found employment at an undisclosed auditing firm under a false identity.

“We knew he was in Kampala, but his exact location remained unknown. We worked tirelessly, following leads and gathering evidence to ensure he could not escape justice. On Saturday, the efforts of our security team and the cooperation of vigilant citizens culminated in his arrest,” Ngabirano told Monitor at the weekend.

Security officials acted swiftly to implement his arrest.

“Once we confirmed his identity, we moved in and took him into custody we were careful in planning the arrest to avoid any unnecessary commotion at the wedding. The safety of the public was paramount, we have gathered substantial evidence to support the case against him, and on Monday we shall take him to court,” he said.

Uganda loses more than Shs10 trillion annually, according to the Ombudsman.