Eight Ministry of Finance officials remanded in Shs53b Bank of Uganda case

KAMPALA – Eight senior Ministry of Finance officials have been charged and remanded to Luzira Prison in connection with the alleged theft of Shs53 billion from the Bank of Uganda. The officials appeared before the Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate, Rachael Nakyazze, yesterday.

The accused include:

• Lawrence Ssemakula, 58, Accountant General
• Jennifer Muhuruzi, 55, Acting Director of Treasury Services and Asset Management
• Tonny Yawe, 46, Senior IT Officer
• Paul Nkalubo Lumala, 40, Systems IT Officer
• Deborah Dorothy Kusiima, 33, Senior Accountant, Treasury Services Department
• Judith Ashaba, 43, Accountant
• Bettina Nayebare, 31, Research Assistant
• Mark Kasiiku, 33, IT Systems Officer

The eleven counts against them include five corruption charges, two counts of causing financial loss, one count of abuse of office, two counts of electronic fraud, and one count of money laundering. However, the accused did not enter pleas, as money laundering charges are triable only in the High Court.

Chief Magistrate Nakyazze also issued criminal summons for Pedson Twesigomwe, 45, Assistant Commissioner, who failed to appear in court. Prosecutor Richard Birivubuka informed the court that Twesigomwe had made it difficult to appear.

Nakyazze explained to the accused that the charges were being read to them because the case is triable in the High Court. They will enter their pleas before a High Court judge.

Defense lawyer Maxim Mutabingwa argued for bail for those not charged with money laundering, stating that the accused had come to plead and that their constitutional rights were at stake. He also requested the charge sheet and committal papers.

Nakyazze ruled that the suspects had appeared for the reading of charges, not committal, and that the reading was done to inform them of the accusations. She stated that the High Court has jurisdiction over money laundering and thus this court could not take pleas for any of the accused, as they were jointly charged. She added that the accused could apply for bail in the High Court, which sits within the same premises as the Chief Magistrate’s Court. The case was adjourned for mention, and criminal summons were issued for Twesigomwe.

Prosecution Case Summary:

• Corruption: Ssemakula and Muhuruzi are accused of neglecting to implement effective systems to safeguard public funds, resulting in a financial loss of USD 6,525,858.2.
• Causing Financial Loss: Yawe is accused of manipulating payment instruction files, leading to a potential loss of USD 6,134,137.75 intended for the International Development Association (IDA), instead being directed to Roadway Co. Limited.
• Abuse of Office: Yawe is further accused of irregularly altering the contents of a payee instruction file for a payment of USD 6,674,320.75, changing the recipient from IDA Washington to IDA Sielska, Poland.
• Electronic Fraud: Yawe is accused of deliberately manipulating payment instruction files on the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS), changing the payee from IDA Washington to IDA Sielska, Poland.
• Accomplices: Twesigomwe, Kusiima, and Lumala are accused of being accomplices to Yawe’s alleged corruption by concealing the irregular payment to Roadway Co. Ltd.
• Accessory After the Fact: Ashaba and Nayebare are accused of being accessories after the fact to Yawe’s alleged corruption by concealing the irregular payment of USD 6,674,320.75 through false reconciliation.
• Manipulation of Payment Files: Kasiiku is accused of manipulating payment instruction files, directing USD 391,720.45 intended for IDA to MJS International London.
• Electronic Fraud: Kasiiku is further accused of introducing executable scripts on the IFMS, resulting in an unauthorized payment of USD 8,596,824.26 to MJS International London.
• Money Laundering: Yawe, Twesigomwe, Kusiima, Nayebare, Lumala, and Kasiiku are accused of concealing the true nature of the USD 6,134,137.75 paid to Roadway Co. Ltd by manipulating the payment system.