Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

A JINJA Grade II magistrate was on Wednesday arrested over receiving a bribe of sh100,000 in order to acquit a man charged with theft.

Okitwii Odutu allegedly received the money from Esther Nabulime to have her brother, Emmanuel Ssembule, released.

Odutu was arrested by Police detectives attached to the office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG), led by Dominic Baru, the eastern regional officer.

He was arrested together with a law enforcement officer attached to Jinja municipality, who was found in the magistrate’s chambers.

The man, only identified as Mugalya, was told to explain what he had seen before the arrival of the Police but reportedly said he could not recall anything.

Nabulime, a potato vendor on Nizam Road in Jinja town, accused Odutu of demanding money whenever her brother appeared in court and promising that he would be acquitted.
“I got fed up and decided to storm the IGG eastern regional offices in Jinja for help,” Nabulime, whose brother was released that day, told journalists.

Nabulime added that she had so far given the magistrate sh420,000.

Baru explained that they raised the sh100,000 which Nabulime said the magistrate demanded and copied down the serial number of the notes.

Shortly after handing over the money to Odutu, the IGG officers stormed his chambers.

Odutu was reportedly shaking as he was told to remove his coat to be searched.

The money was recovered after an hour of searching from a cabinet where another bundle of sh667,000 was confiscated.

Odutu’s arrest paralysed several court sessions as he was held by the trousers and led to his boss, the Jinja Chief Magistrate, Amos Kwizira.

Odutu told Kwizira that they had picked money meant for his children’s school fees.

The magistrate was expected to appear before the Anti-Corruption Court

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