KAMPALA, UGANDA – The Anti-Corruption Court has remanded a Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) officer, Wodero Francis, to prison until July 3, 2024, on charges of abuse of office and causing financial loss to the government.
Wodero, 37, is accused of uplifting Value Added Tax (VAT) amounting to UGX 301,100,831 without lawful justification, leading to a revenue loss of the same amount. The offense was committed on December 29, 2021, while he was employed as a Tax Officer at URA.
The prosecution alleges that Wodero falsely claimed the assessment was raised to take care of credit notes, whereas there were none. He was arrested on June 24, 2024, after skipping bond on June 8, 2024.
Wodero denied the charges and applied for bail, but the prosecution objected, citing insufficient sureties. The court granted bail to Wodero, but he was remanded to prison until July 3, 2024, to allow him to present an additional substantial surety.
The case has sparked concern over corruption and abuse of office within the URA, and the public is eagerly waiting to see how the case unfolds.
The charges against Wodero Francis are Abuse of Office contrary to Section 11(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act 2009 and Causing Financial Loss contrary to Section 20 of the Anti-Corruption Act 2009.
The case will be mentioned on July 3, 2024, for further proceedings.
