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Kasango ordered to pay 3b as compensation to Tooro queen mother
Tooro Queen mother Best Kemigisa (L) with her lawyer at Court on Tuesday. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa
Court in Kampala has ordered city lawyer Bob Kasango, who was recently convicted of theft to pay Shs3 billion as compensation to Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa.
The presiding Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Jamson Karemani further ordered Kasango to pay a fine of Shs12 million or be imprisoned for five years.
The money in question belonged to the Tooro Queen Mother who entrusted Mr Kasango with the duty of receiving it from the Lands Ministry Permanent Secretary on her behalf.
Mr Kasango’s February, 2015 order of acquittal was this month set aside by Justice Elizabeth Kabanda and substituted with a conviction on two counts of uttering a false document contrary to Section 351 of the Penal Code Act and count three of stealing by agent.
Convicted lawyer Bob Kasango at Anti-Corruption court recently. File photo
Justice Kabanda upon convicting Mr Kasango on State appeal ordered that the record of proceeding in the Chief Magistrate’s Court be referred to Magistrate Jamson Karemani for sentencing.
While reading the sentence the magistrate said Kasango will have to pay a fine of Shs2million for uttering a false document or be jailed for one year in defaulting. Further, the magistrate ordered Kasango to pay Shs10million for stealing by agent or be jailed for four years in defaulting.
If he fails to pay the Shs12million fine, Kasango will be sent to Luzira prison where he will serve both sentences concurrently.
“However, the convict (Kasango) will pay Shs3billion as compensation to the queen mother. This money will be paid in 30 days at an interest rate of 8 per cent per annum and in case he fails to pay, it will be recovered as a civil debt,” said the magistrate.
The sentence comes at a time when Kasango is facing separate charges in connection to Shs15.4 billion pension cash at Anti-Corruption court.
In march this year Kasango was arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court and charged in connection to forgery of a judicial document in order to siphon over Shs15.4 billion pension cash.
The money in question was allegedly diverted to Marble Law Firm, owned by Mr Kasango by three jailed former Ministry of Public Service officials led by former permanent secretary Mr Jimmy Lwamafa.
The money was reportedly to cater for legal fees after another city law firm that won a pension case against government for having delayed to pay over 6,339 pensioners.
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