By Mirembe Martina

The trial of the principal accountant in the Office of the Prime Minister, Geoffery Kazinda is to begin today, Monday 7th January 2013.

The trial is to take place at the Anti-Corruption Court. He faces charges of abuse of office, forgery and making document without authority. Justice David Wangutusi will conduct the trial. Principal state attorney Jane Frances Abodo and State Attorney Paul Lakidi are prosecuting the case. City lawyer MacDosman Kabega represents Kazinda.

It is alleged that Kazinda forged the signature of the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Pius Bigirimana between January and July 2012 intending to use it for fraudulent purposes. Bigirimana is set to appear in court as a prosecution witness alongside other 24 witnesses. Kazinda allegedly also made computer generated serial numbered letters on Bigirimana’ s account. According to prosecution, Kazinda kept at his private residence, the forged computer generated letters and cash withdrawal authorization forms bearing the forged signature.

Prosecution alleges that Kazinda sent of the letters bearing the date of February 10, 2011 to the Director Banking in the Bank of Uganda claiming that it was written by Bigirimana.

Apart from the above charges, Kazinda also faces separate charges of embezzlement, false accounting and conspiracy to commit a felon jointly with a number of other officials he worked with in the OPM. Hearing of this is slated to start on January28, 2013.