Rogers Kanzira, a former Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) employee charged with receiving a bribe of shillings 10 million, has been granted a final adjournment until January 29, 2024, by the Nakasero-based Anti-Corruption Court. Justice Lawrence Gidudu set the deadline for Kanzira to conclude plea bargain negotiations; failing which, the court will proceed with the trial.
Facing charges of bribery and abuse of office, Kanzira requested a halt to his trial last year to facilitate plea bargain discussions with URA. Bosco Okiror, Kanzira’s legal representative, informed the court on January 8, 2024, that negotiations are ongoing and sought additional time to finalize the matter.
Plea bargain involves an agreement between the prosecution and the accused, where the defendant pleads guilty in exchange for a reduced punishment.
The charges against Kanzira, and others still at large, allege that on August 4, 2023, in Lugogo, Nakawa, while employed as a tax officer at URA, he received a bribe of shillings 10 million. The prosecution, led by Davis Lomuria, contends that Kanzira accepted the bribe from Isaac Byarugaba to influence a favorable tax report.
Additionally, the prosecution asserts that, as a public body employee, Kanzira committed an arbitrary act by soliciting a bribe. Under Section 11(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, conviction for abuse of office carries a penalty of up to seven years’ imprisonment, a fine not exceeding shillings 1.3 million, or both. Section (2) of the Anti-Corruption Act stipulates that a person found guilty of corruption charges may face up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
