By After spending fifty-five days on remand at Luzira Prison, the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court has granted bail to three Members of Parliament (MPs) facing charges of budget corruption. Justice Lawrence Gidudu ruled that “bail should not be denied just because the state wishes to keep a prisoner in jail without proof of case.”
The legislators granted bail are Paul Akamba (Busiki County, Namutumba), Yusuf Mutembuli (Bunyole East, Butaleja District), and Cissy Namujju Dionizza (District Woman Representative of Lwengo). Justice Gidudu emphasized that bail can be refused in cases involving exceptional circumstances such as violence, large sums of money, or trans-border crimes like terrorism and arms trafficking.
“However, these are MPs who have already been on remand for about 55 days. They are alleged to have plotted to execute a scheme which backfired. They did not succeed. Their trial has started. They denied the charges, they have credible, traceable, and known sureties who are public figures,” Justice Gidudu stated.
Acknowledging the country’s strong stance against corruption, Justice Gidudu noted that while the court treats allegations of corruption seriously, it would temporarily grant bail under conditions that reflect the gravity of the case. He highlighted that MPs have the capacity to meet the terms of the bond due to their high salaries and allowances.
“Consequently, I grant bail on the following conditions: Each applicant will execute a cash bail of Shs50 million, deposit his/her passport in court. Each surety will execute a bond of Shs100 million not cash, each applicant shall commit to be available and their counsel to proceed with the trial as required by rules 5 and 12(4) of Legal Notice 11 of 2021 and if they fail they are remanded to August 8 for further hearing,” Justice Gidudu held. He also informed the court that the case will be concluded by October 31.
However, Akamba will not immediately leave prison as he still faces charges of theft of Shs3.4 billion meant for compensation of Buyaka Growers Co-operative Society Ltd in another court.
In related proceedings on Monday, the court declined to admit a voice recording of a meeting between Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) chairperson Mariam Wangadya and the three accused lawmakers. The prosecution had requested the recordings during Wangadya’s testimony. Justice Gidudu ruled that it was unclear what happened to the original recording device used by the prosecution witness and that forensic experts should handle such evidence.
During her testimony, Wangadya recounted that the three legislators asked her for a 5% kickback to increase her budget. She narrated that on May 13, 2024, she received a call from Mutembuli requesting a meeting at Hotel Africana in Kampala. Before meeting him, she informed Major Betty Kagaba, who provided her with a voice recorder disguised as a pen. At the hotel, she met Mutembuli, Akamba, and later Namujju.
The prosecution alleges that on May 13, 2024, at Hotel Africana, the trio solicited an undue advantage of 20% of the anticipated enhanced budget for UHRC for the financial year 2024/25 from Wangadya. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) further claimed that the MPs intended to exert improper influence over the Budget Committee of Parliament to increase the Commission’s budget in exchange for the said undue advantage.
