Court remands Lira businessman over fraudulent procurement of public land.
By Voice of Lango Editorial(editor@vol.co.ug)
Lira City
The chief magistrate Court of Lira has remanded the treasurer of the National Resistance Movement Party for Lira District Geoffrey Etwop to the Lira government prison until the 5th of February 2024.
Etwop, Lira city based businessman was arraigned before the Lira Chief Magistrate court presided over by Chief Magistrate Abiti Samson Loum over fraudulent procurement of certificate of land title of plot 16-18 soroti road
According to prosecution, Etwop between 2017 and 2020, presented a letter dated 23rd December 2019 to the District land Board and Lira MZO among other land application documents purporting that the Physical Planning Committee Lira Municipal Council had approved his application to be granted a freehold title for Plot 16-18 Soroti Road Campswahili Central Division under minute number LMC PPC 083/12/2019, which was not true.
The public land which is popularly known as tipper is a open space according to the approved Physical Plan of Lira Municipal Council 2016-2026
Defence counsel Robert Irumba of Tian and company advocated who represented Etwop, asked court to bail his client since the alledged offence is bailable and that he has a constitutional right to bail.
In his application for bail, Irumba who presented four sureties told court that his client is a law a biding citizen since he never jumped police bond and that he is of advance age.
Etwop is being jointly accused with some Lira City officials for connivance and fraudulent purchase of three plots of land belonging to Lira City land located along Lira-Soroti highway commonly known by the locals as tipper.
