By Niyonshima Joshua
The Anti-Corruption Court presided over by His Worship Moses Nabende has sentenced Sendaula Obi to six months in jail for possessing uncustomed goods, contrary to the East African Community Customs Management Act 2004.
On 18th Feb 2023, Sendaula Obi and others still at large were found in possession of uncustomed goods including 2,079 pieces of assorted button phones, 140 pieces of GSM fixed wireless phones, 1,220 pieces of charger heads, 1,138 pieces of phone chargers and 1,134 pieces of phone batteries, defrauding the country of taxes amounting to UGX 59,240,800.
Court documents indicated that Obi used his motor vehicle registration number UBE 017W/UBE878X as a means of conveyance for the uncustomed goods.
Upon realizing that he was on the wrong side of the law, Sendaula quickly admitted to the offence through the alternative tax dispute resolution mechanism that is being explored by URA in handling tax crimes.
It was however revealed during court proceedings that Sendaula is a habitual offender having been charged with a similar offence in 2019. Davis Lomuria, URA’s legal counsel informed court that on 5th June 2019, Sendaula & Kaboggoza Isaac were charged and fined after they were caught smuggling over 3000 pieces of phones and accessories.
It is against this background that URA this time round objected to a fine because Sendaula had made it a habit to involve himself in unscrupulous acts that defraud Uganda of revenue.
According to Ibrahim Bbossa URA’s Assistant Commissioner Public and Corporate Affairs, such stringent punishments are necessary to curtail smuggling which continues to hamper revenue mobilization efforts.
“The commonest of the tax offenses is possession of uncustomed goods an indicator that some importers don’t want to pay import duty undermining the goal of liberating Uganda from economic dependence. We must make sure that business people are compliant and doing business within the law by ensuring that culprits are sentenced to higher penalties,” he says.
Bbossa adds that despite such elements, URA will keep engaging and rewarding compliant taxpayers through programs like the Authorized Economic Operator program.
