The Yumbe Chief Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a primary school headteacher to seven years in prison over forgery and theft.
Swaib Goodyear (49), the headteacher of Matuma Primary School in Arilo sub-county, Yumbe district, was convicted by Chief Magistrate Freddie Awacnedi on Wednesday.
Awacnedi said Goodyear was charged with forgery and theft. The chief magistrate said the convict denied the charges read to him in 2021, but the court found him guilty.
He said on the count of forgery, court found that Goodyear forged the stamp and signatures of the Yumbe District Education Officer (DEO) and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), which he used to transfer himself from Dradranga Primary School to Gichara Primary School, contrary to the Penal Code Act.
“The DEO, who has testified as the first witness, does not have the authority to transfer but the CAO. The best a DEO can do is to recommend transfers to the CAO, who effects them. It was, therefore, strange for the transfer letter of the accused to be signed by the DEO. No wonder, the PW8 (handwriting expert) said the letter was forged. Since the letter was aiming at defrauding Gichara Primary School, the accused forged the document,” the ruling indicates.
On the count of theft of sh8.3m, the magistrate also said the court found that the convict, after successfully forging the documents, went ahead to withdraw the money from the accounts of Gichara Primary School.
“The accused admitted that he withdrew the sh8.3m, although he claimed that he got clearance for the withdrawal of the money from the CAO. As it now turns out, the documents allegedly authorized by the DEO and CAO in respect to his dubious deals were all disowned by the duo.
The handwriting expert found that all the signatures were forged,” the ruling further indicated. Consequently, Awacnedi found that prosecution had proved its case against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. “I find the accused guilty as charged in counts 2 and 3, and I convict him accordingly,” the chief magistrate stated.
Jerome Angena, the Yumbe state prosecutor, said the accused is a public officer who should be aware of the laws of the country.
Angena asked the chief magistrate to jail Goodyear for nine years, saying committing such crimes needs a heavy punishment to send a warning to others. He further asked the convict to refund the sh8.3m to Gichara Primary School.
ACCUSED CITES HEALTH CONCERNS
Goodyear pleaded for leniency, saying he is a parent of 13 children, the majority of whom are in school and need his support for their wellbeing.
The convict also said his health condition is not good.
“I was diagnosed with hepatitis B and if I am to serve all these years in prison, it will not be good for my health. I pray that the three years I have been serving on remand be deducted and the remaining years to be served concurrently,” he said.
However, the chief magistrate said the convict wasted a lot of the court’s time until he was finally found guilty.
He added that the accused, being a headteacher, means that the authorities in the district had a lot of trust in him, little knowing that he was a criminal.
“I hereby sentence you to two years’ imprisonment on count 2, and five years’ imprisonment on count 3. All the sentences will be served concurrently,” the magistrate ruled.
The post Headteacher Sentenced to 7 Years for Forging DEO’s Stamp, Signature appeared first on Kyaggwe TV.