Six government officials received bail from the Anti-Corruption court after being charged with Shs 60 billion fraud through payment system manipulation. Justice Lawrence Gidudu set bail amounts between Shs 20 million and Shs 30 million on Monday, based on each person's role and charges. The court required sureties to sign non-cash bonds ranging from Shs 200 million to Shs 300 million for each defendant. Officials must surrender land titles and passports before they can leave custody, and they cannot enter their workplaces.
Justice Gidudu ordered all defendants to check in with the court registrar beginning April 3, 2025. The court released several high-ranking officials under these bail terms. Lawrence Ssemakula serves as accountant general at the Finance Ministry. Jennifer Muhuruzi works as acting director of treasury services and asset management.
Paul Nkalubo Lumala is an IT systems officer. Deborah Dorothy Kusiima is a senior accountant in treasury services. Judith Ashaba is an accountant, and Bettina Nayebare is a research assistant. The court denied bail to Mark Kasiiku, an IT systems officer, and Tonny Yawe, a senior IT officer.
Both remain detained after the hearing. Justice Gidudu explained that Kasiiku faces charges of deceptive practices to obtain illegal profits. He allegedly helped hide a fraudulent $6.1 million payment sent to a Japanese company. Prosecutors accuse Yawe of changing payment files inside the EFMis system.
The court views both men as key players in the fraud scheme. The judge told them they may request bail again if they provide better security guarantees. Pedison Twesigomwe, assistant commissioner for accounts at Finance and Economic Planning, became the ninth suspect charged earlier. He did not request bail during this hearing and stayed detained with Yawe and Kasiiku.
Prosecutors claim Ssemakula and Muhuruzi failed to protect public money properly, which reportedly cost Uganda's government $652,588.2. Court documents state that Yawe tampered with payment instructions from the International Development Association based in Washington. He reportedly redirected funds meant for legitimate recipients to Roadway Company Ltd, located in Poland.
He claimed the money paid for recycling plant equipment and systems. Prosecutors believe he knew these actions would harm government finances. Prosecutors named Twesigomwe as an accomplice who helped enrich Roadway Company through corrupt means. The entire group faces eleven different criminal counts.
These charges include corruption, causing financial losses, electronic fraud schemes, and money laundering activities. Police investigators discovered the stolen funds vanished from the Bank of Uganda in September 2024. The money later appeared in foreign bank accounts across the United Kingdom and various Asian nations, including Japan.
The Criminal Investigations Directorate partnered with Defence Intelligence and Security to question many people from the central bank, Finance Ministry, and Accountant General staff. Early investigations suggested hackers might have caused the theft. The ICT division of CID later proved this theory false. Investigators eventually determined the crime involved an internal payment fraud scheme rather than external hacking.
President Yoweri Museveni ordered DIS to join the investigation team after this discovery. By December 2024, authorities had questioned at least 21 employees from three government departments, including staff from the central bank, Finance Ministry, and Accountant General offices. Investigators took their phones, laptops, and other electronic devices for thorough examination.
Bank of Uganda managed to retrieve over half the Shs 60 billion from British financial institutions, according to sources speaking with URN. Recovery attempts failed for money sent to Asian banking systems. Investigators believe criminals withdrew cash from these overseas accounts through two methods. They either smuggled physical currency back to Ugandan recipients or purchased goods for these same beneficiaries.
Justice Gidudu ordered all defendants to check in with the court registrar beginning April 3, 2025. The court released several high-ranking officials under these bail terms. Lawrence Ssemakula serves as accountant general at the Finance Ministry. Jennifer Muhuruzi works as acting director of treasury services and asset management.
Paul Nkalubo Lumala is an IT systems officer. Deborah Dorothy Kusiima is a senior accountant in treasury services. Judith Ashaba is an accountant, and Bettina Nayebare is a research assistant. The court denied bail to Mark Kasiiku, an IT systems officer, and Tonny Yawe, a senior IT officer.
Both remain detained after the hearing. Justice Gidudu explained that Kasiiku faces charges of deceptive practices to obtain illegal profits. He allegedly helped hide a fraudulent $6.1 million payment sent to a Japanese company. Prosecutors accuse Yawe of changing payment files inside the EFMis system.
The court views both men as key players in the fraud scheme. The judge told them they may request bail again if they provide better security guarantees. Pedison Twesigomwe, assistant commissioner for accounts at Finance and Economic Planning, became the ninth suspect charged earlier. He did not request bail during this hearing and stayed detained with Yawe and Kasiiku.
Prosecutors claim Ssemakula and Muhuruzi failed to protect public money properly, which reportedly cost Uganda's government $652,588.2. Court documents state that Yawe tampered with payment instructions from the International Development Association based in Washington. He reportedly redirected funds meant for legitimate recipients to Roadway Company Ltd, located in Poland.
He claimed the money paid for recycling plant equipment and systems. Prosecutors believe he knew these actions would harm government finances. Prosecutors named Twesigomwe as an accomplice who helped enrich Roadway Company through corrupt means. The entire group faces eleven different criminal counts.
These charges include corruption, causing financial losses, electronic fraud schemes, and money laundering activities. Police investigators discovered the stolen funds vanished from the Bank of Uganda in September 2024. The money later appeared in foreign bank accounts across the United Kingdom and various Asian nations, including Japan.
The Criminal Investigations Directorate partnered with Defence Intelligence and Security to question many people from the central bank, Finance Ministry, and Accountant General staff. Early investigations suggested hackers might have caused the theft. The ICT division of CID later proved this theory false. Investigators eventually determined the crime involved an internal payment fraud scheme rather than external hacking.
President Yoweri Museveni ordered DIS to join the investigation team after this discovery. By December 2024, authorities had questioned at least 21 employees from three government departments, including staff from the central bank, Finance Ministry, and Accountant General offices. Investigators took their phones, laptops, and other electronic devices for thorough examination.
Bank of Uganda managed to retrieve over half the Shs 60 billion from British financial institutions, according to sources speaking with URN. Recovery attempts failed for money sent to Asian banking systems. Investigators believe criminals withdrew cash from these overseas accounts through two methods. They either smuggled physical currency back to Ugandan recipients or purchased goods for these same beneficiaries.
