Investigations into a major fraud case involving Uganda’s Finance Ministry and Bank of Uganda (BoU) are still ongoing, the Anti-Corruption Court has heard.
Prosecutors say government officials manipulated the payment system, causing a financial loss of UGX 60 billion ($16 million)in late 2024.
On Tuesday, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Richard Birivumbuka told Chief Magistrate Rachael Nakyazze that more time was needed to complete the investigation.
Already,nine government officials, including top accountants and IT officers, have been charged with corruption, fraud, and money laundering.
Three suspects remain in custody, while six others have been released on bail. The case has been adjourned to March 19, 2025.
Who are the accused?
Among those charged are Accountant General Lawrence Ssemakula, acting Director of Treasury Services Jennifer Muhuruzi, and IT officers Paul Nkalubo Lumala, Mark Kasiiku, and Tonny Yawe.
Others are Deborah Dorothy Kusiima, a senior accountant in the Treasury Services Department, as well as Judith Ashaba, Bettina Nayebare, and Pedison Twesigomwe, an assistant commissioner of accounts in the finance ministry.
Some of the accused, including Ssemakula and Muhuruzi, were released on bail, while others remain on remand. The case was adjourned to 19 March 2025 for further mention.
How did the alleged fraud happen?
Prosecutors say that the accused officials deliberately failed to put in place safeguards to prevent financial losses, leading to the fraudulent transfer of $652,588 (about UGX2.4 billion) from an International Development Association (IDA) account in Washington to Road-Way Company Ltd, a firm in Poland.
The money was purportedly meant for the purchase of recycling plant machinery.
However, investigators say the transaction was fraudulent, and the funds never reached their intended recipient.
Further investigations revealed that funds from the BoU mysteriously disappeared in September 2024, ending up in foreign accounts in the United Kingdom and Asian countries such as Japan.
While BoU was able to recover some of the money through UK banks, efforts to retrieve funds sent to Asia were unsuccessful.
Museveni Orders Deeper Probe
The case has drawn the attention of President Yoweri Museveni, who directed Uganda’s Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS), formerly known as the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), to assist in the investigations.
Initially, the disappearance of funds was suspected to be the work of hackers, but the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), working with IT experts, determined that it was a well-orchestrated internal fraud scheme.
By the end of 2024, at least 21 employees from the finance ministry and BoU had been interrogated.
Electronic gadgets, including mobile phones and laptops, were confiscated and examined as part of the ongoing investigation.
Investigators are now looking into allegations that some of the missing money was secretly funneled back into Uganda, either in cash or in items purchased for beneficiaries of the fraud.
The accused face 11 charges, including corruption, financial loss, electronic fraud, and money laundering.
END
English 