Five individuals accused of forging a land title to unlawfully acquire National Social Security Fund (NSSF) land in Lubowa have been cleared of all charges.
Among the accused were Muhammad Kityo Lubowa, Moses Bogere, Betty Namanya, and Daphine Nakanwagi, who were alleged to have falsified land titles indicating ownership of the NSSF property.
Additionally, Patrick Onyango, a private surveyor, was implicated in assisting the group in surveying the land fraudulently, resulting in titles overlapping with those obtained by NSSF in 2003.
The accused faced charges of forgery, uttering false documents, obtaining registration by false pretense, and conspiracy to commit a felony.
However, Makindye grade one magistrate, Elisha Arinaitwe, ruled on Wednesday that the prosecution’s evidence was marred by numerous inconsistencies.
The magistrate criticized the reliability of the state’s witnesses, noting their contradictory statements and questioning the legitimacy of documents presented as evidence.
Arinaitwe highlighted the investigating police officer’s overzealousness, accusing him of obtaining documents through questionable means, which cast doubt on the integrity of the investigation.
Furthermore, the magistrate pointed out discrepancies in the recovery and custody of evidence, as well as inconsistencies in witness testimonies, undermining the credibility of the prosecution’s case.
In light of these findings, the court concluded that the evidence presented by the prosecution was unreliable, leading to the acquittal of all accused persons.
