By Frank Kamuntu
Thomas Odeke, a 36-year-old mechanic from Busia district has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for impersonating as a Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) staff.
Odeke was arrested last month following information that he was posing as a URA staff and obtaining money under false pretense.
The accused was arraigned before Court on 28th March 2024. He had posed under several titles as the Commissioner General, Commissioner Tax Investigations and Supervisor Customs carrying out different compliance checks at supermarkets and wholesale shops in Busia.
The accused threatened to close the businesses visited if they did not pay a fine for non-compliance with EFRIS. Out of fear, the victims each parted with UGX. 1,350,000 to avert the closure of their businesses.
Appearing before His Worship, Opit Christopher on Friday, Odeke pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
He was charged with two counts of impersonating a tax officer contrary to Section 63(6) of the TPCA, one count of assuming the character of an Officer contrary to Section 198(c) EACCMA and count three of Obtaining money by false pretense contrary to Section 305 of the Penal Code Act.
In sentencing, Court took cognizance of the reputational damage occasioned to the URA and the tax officers impersonated by the accused.
The Prosecution led by Diana Prida also stressed that such acts need to be deterred as they strain relations between the taxpayers and URA: and in the long run affect tax compliance.
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