The Anti Corruption Court in Kampala has denied bail to Lwengo District Woman MP of Parliament Cissy Namujju Dionizia and Yusuf Mutembuli the Bunyole East Member of Parliament.
The court presided over by Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro on Friday rejected their bail application on grounds that their sureties were not substantial. They were remanded further until June 17th.
They were advised to bring identification documents such as the introduction letters of their Chairperson Local Council Ones as well as those of their sureties and employment Identification documents.
The same court also granted Busiki County Member of Parliament Paul Akamba after finding that his sureties were substantial and had presented all the necessary documents to be granted bail.
Akamba was ordered to pay 13 million shillings cash and each of his sureties has been ordered to execute a non-cash Bail of 100 million shillings. Akamba was also been ordered to deposit his passport with the Court.
The prosecution alleges that Mutembule, Akamba, and Namujju on May 13th, 2024 at Hotel Africana in Kampala solicited from Mariam Wangadya the Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission an undue advantage of 20 percent of the anticipated Budget of the UHRC for the Financial Year 2024/2025.
This was reportedly done by asserting that the MPs were able to exert improper influence over the decision-making of the Budget Committee of the Parliament of Uganda to increase the UHRC budget, in consideration of the said undue advantage.
Trouble for the accused persons started last week after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni during the State of the Nation Address, revealed that he has overwhelming evidence of corruption among public officials.
Museveni said the MPs allegedly colluded with accounting officers, the Ministry of Finance, and the Bank of Uganda to make allocations of Public resources in exchange for kickbacks (bribes) and promised to crush them.
Museveni Fumes
In his State of the Nation Address, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni stressed his cautious approach towards tackling corruption within the government. He pondered the consequences of dismissing or imprisoning corrupt officials, considering the implications for governance.
Sources within a prominent intelligence agency disclosed that Museveni’s remarks followed his examination of a detailed dossier outlining collusion among government officials, particularly those from the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, with senior Members of Parliament and heads of government agencies to perpetuate corruption.
This dossier’s findings closely mirrored those of a confidential report commissioned by Museveni himself, authored by a trusted diplomat. This report revealed extensive property ownership by government officials and MPs, often through opaque companies and relatives’ names.
Details in the report authored by the said intelligence agency matched with the details in the private report authored by Museveni’s trusted seasoned diplomat who revealed the particulars of the properties and companies owned by government officials abroad.
Museveni instructed his trusted diplomat to author for him the said report after the United Kingdom sanctioned the Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among maintaining that he owns fat bank accounts, owns a house abroad and is a big spender.
It was also revealed that Among has children who are studying from good schools in their country insisting that investigations made by United Kingdom intelligence established that all the money Among used to purchase, buy and educate her children is as a result of corruption.
Prompted by the United Kingdom’s sanctions against Speaker of Parliament, Annet Anita Among, alleging substantial assets and lavish spending, Museveni ordered further investigations into corruption within parliament, leading to the discovery of additional malfeasance, including a $5 million bribe from the Vitol Oil Company.
Among publicly disowned the said house and properties insisting that Rishi Sunak’s government was giving forged documents to President Museveni to cement their allegations that she owns properties in their country. She maintained that she doesn’t even own a pussycat in their country.
Because of the sanctions against the speaker, Museveni directed further investigation in alleged corruption in parliament and more rot was discovered which included $5m Vitol Oil Company bribe.