Three officials from Lira District Local Government have been sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of fraudulently acquiring and facilitating the sale of public land in Lira City.
The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court on Thursday convicted Francis Opio, the Lira District Staff Surveyor; Pabius Otike, the District Natural Resources Officer; and Joel Ogwanga, a Cartographer attached to the Ministry of Lands’ Lira Zonal Office, on charges of abuse of office, fraudulent procurement of a certificate of title, and conspiracy to defraud.
The court also sentenced Rebecca Atoo, Opio’s sister, to one year in prison for her role in facilitating the fraudulent transaction.
Although Atoo was not a public officer, court heard that she allowed the disputed land to be registered in her name before later selling it.
Prosecution told court that between February and August 2019, Lira District Local Government began processing a certificate of title for its land located in Ireda Estate.
During the surveying process, Opio and Otike deliberately excluded part of the district land from the official survey. With the assistance of Ogwanga, they later fraudulently obtained a Freehold Certificate of Title for Plot 3–5 Ben Emor Road, Ireda Estate, covering the excluded portion, and registered it in Atoo’s name.
The court heard that after acquiring the title, Atoo sold the land to Olam Pius, with all the convicted individuals participating in and witnessing the transaction.
The four accused were charged before the Anti-Corruption Division on June 20, 2023, following investigations by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
After evaluating the evidence presented, the court found all four guilty of the offences.
In addition to their four-year jail terms, Opio, Otike, and Ogwanga were barred from holding public office for 10 years.
Atoo received a one-year prison sentence for facilitating the fraudulent acquisition and disposal of public land.
