The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Lino Anguzu, has discontinued corruption proceedings against Lwengo District Woman MP Cissy Namujju, Busiki County MP Paul Akamba, and Bunyole East County MP Yusuf Mutembuli.
In a notice filed before the Anti-Corruption Court, Anguzu informed court that the Government of Uganda had decided to discontinue the corruption charges against the three legislators.
“Take notice that the Government of Uganda intends that the proceedings against Cissy Namujju, Busiki County MP Paul Akamba, and Bunyole East County MP Yusuf Mutembuli, who were charged with corruption, shall not continue,” the DPP stated.
The three MPs had been facing graft-related charges following their arrest on June 10, 2024, after being summoned to record statements over corruption allegations. They were questioned and later detained at Kira Police Divisional Headquarters, where they spent two nights.
They were subsequently arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate, Joan Aciro, and charged with corruption and influence peddling.
In June 2024, Chief Magistrate Aciro committed the trio to the High Court for trial after the conclusion of investigations.
The prosecution alleged that on May 13, 2024, while at Hotel Africana, the MPs solicited a bribe from the Executive Director of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, Mariam Wangadya, in exchange for enhancing the commission’s 2024/2025 budget. The lawmakers were allegedly seeking 20 percent of the increased allocation.
Earlier, Wangadya told court that Mutembuli had informed her that Members of Parliament receive a five percent cut from the budgets of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) before the budgets are approved, remarks made amid pleas to increase the commission’s budget.
The trio pleaded not guilty and were remanded to Luzira Prison.
Their arrest followed remarks by President Yoweri Museveni, who revealed the existence of a racket involving officials in the Ministry of Finance and Parliament allegedly receiving bribes to approve budgets for government agencies.
