High Court has released Accountant General Lawrence Ssemakula and five others implicated in the fraudulent payment of Shs 60 billion by the Bank of Uganda.
Ssemakula was released alongside Commissioner of Treasury Services Jennifer Muhuruzi, as well as Judith Ashaba, Dorothy Kusiima, Betinah Nayebare, and Nkakubo Lumala.
Appearing before Justice Lawrence Gidudu, Ssemakula and Muhuruzi were each granted a cash bail of Shs 30 million and ordered to deposit their land titles and passports with the court. Their four sureties were granted a non-cash bond of Shs 300 million.
Additionally, the court granted Ashaba, Kusiima, Nkalubo, and Nayebare bail of Shs 25 million and Shs 20 million, respectively. They were directed to surrender their passports to the court and prohibited from entering the Ministry of Finance offices without court approval.
“Each person released on bail shall report to the Registrar of this court once every month, starting April 3, 2025,” the court ruled.
However, the court denied bail applications for Tony Yawe, a senior IT specialist, and his assistant, Mark Kasiiku, due to their involvement in the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS).
The accused face 11 charges, including money laundering, electronic fraud, causing financial loss, and abuse of office.
According to Bank of Uganda Governor Martin Ating-Ego, the stolen funds were originally intended for the World Bank and the African Development Fund but were misdirected in two major transactions: September 12, 2024: $6,134,137.75 meant for the World Bank was instead sent to Roadway Co. Limited via MUFG Bank, Japana and September 28, 2024: $8,596,824.26 intended for the African Development Fund was wrongly transferred to MJS International, London, UK.
By December 2024, the Bank of Uganda had recovered $8,205,133.84 from MJS International and credited it to the Consolidated Fund. Efforts are ongoing to retrieve the remaining $391,660.45.
