Pastor, lawyer jailed over Shs4b fraud
Convicts Pastor Sirajje Ssemanda of Revival Ministries Church and and his lawyer Jimmy Arinaitwe in court on January 10, 2023. PHOTO/HANDOUT
What you need to know:
- The conviction comes at a time when clerics are beginning to warn their flock to watch out against people masquerading as “men of god”.
The Luweero Magistrate’s Court has handed a two-and-half year jail sentence and a fine of Shs405m to a Luweero pastor and his lawyer over a Shs4b fraud across the country.
According to a press release issued by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit yesterday evening, Luweero Chief Magistrate Gladys Kabasanyu handed the sentence to Pastor Sirajje Semanda of Revival Church Bombo and his lawyer Jimmy Arinaitwe after a hearing that has taken over two years.
“Pastor Semanda of Revival Church Bombo and his lawyer Arinaitwe have been convicted and sentenced to two-and-half-years in prison and payment of a fine worth Shs405m. This was before Chief Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu, who read to them her judgement following a hearing of over two years,” the statement reads.
Prosecution led by Allan Musunguzi stated that the duo, using their organisation Hands Across the World Initiative, defrauded more than Shs4b from more than 5,000 victims, including 400 private school owners and parents of vulnerable children promising to get them scholarships, trips abroad and connections to income-generating projects in Operation Wealth Creation, which was not true.
“Pastor Semanda, the founder of Revival Church Bombo located in Bombo Town, Luweero District, and the organisation lawyer Arinaitwe were arrested on November 15, 2020, following a countrywide outcry from his victims,” the statement further reads.
Semanda and his co-accused first appeared before Luweero Grade One Magistrate John Paul Obuya on November 17, 2020, where they were charged with obtaining money by false pretence and conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence. The matter was later transferred to Buganda Road Court in Kampala, where the case has been ongoing for the past two years until their conviction yesterday.
The conviction comes at a time when clerics are beginning to warn their flock to watch out against people masquerading as “men of god”.
During his Christmas Day sermon, Church of Uganda Archbishop Stephen Kazimba, warned Christians against allowing into their homes people apportioning themselves titles of religious leaders.
