Anti Corruption Court denies bail to two MPs

Lwengo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | 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.

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