High Court sitting in Gulu has convicted and sentenced three men for stealing 360 million shillings from UMFO Uganda Limited, a Gulu- based Microfinance Company.
UMFO which has since collapsed due to huge debts was owned by Christopher Acire, the former Gulu Municipality Member of Parliament.
The trio— Fred Manina, 40, David Livingstone Odong, 28, and Kenneth Latigo Onekalit, 37 had been charged with aggravated robbery contrary to section 129 of the penal code act.
Court heard that on June 23, 2013, the men with others still at large broke into safe at UMFO and stole 300 Million Shillings.
They were charged before Lady Justice Elizabeth Nahamya of the International Crime Division (ICD).
On Wednesday this week, Justice Elizabeth Nahamya convicted the three and sentenced them to 25 and 35 years respectively.
Fred Manina, 40 and Kenneth Latigo Onekalit, 37 got 25 years in jail while, David Livingstone Odong, 28 who was found to be the mastermind of the robbery got 35 years in jail.
The trio, court heard, used a girlfriend of the guard of UMFO who laced his [the guard’s food with a drug, sending him into a deep slumber) thus enabling the convicted robbers to gain access to UMFO premises and steal the 300 million shilling.
Both Odong and Onekalit, pleaded for a lenient sentence saying they should be given an opportunity to go back home and sensitize the community on danger of involvement in criminal activities.