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HON YUSUF MUTEMBULI OF BUNYOLE EAST (L), PAUL AKAMBA OF BUSIKI COUNTY (MIDDLE) AND DISTRICT WOMAN MP FOR LWENGO, CISSY NAMUJJU DIONIZIA (R) APPEAR BEFORE THE ANTI-CORRUPTION COURT IN KAMPALA ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2024
Kampala, (UG):- The Anti-Corruption Court in Kololo has charged and remanded to prison three Members of Parliament belonging to the NRM ruling party for their involvement in an alleged budget corruption scandal involving Parliament and Finance Ministry.
The MPs who include Yusuf Mutembuli (Bunyole East), Paul Akamba (Busiki Constituency), and Lwengo District Woman MP Cissy Dionizia Namujju today (Wednesday) appeared before the Court’s Chief Magistrate Ms Joan Aciro who formally charged them and sent them to Luzira until Friday, June 14, 2024.
The charge sheet brought forward before the Magistrate by state prosecution indicates that the MPs face a lone charge of corruption in which they allegedly solicited 20% of the Uganda Human Rights Commission’s enhanced budget.
According to the charge sheet, it is alleged that the three legislators on May 13, 2024, at Hotel Africana in Kampala, allegedly solicited from Ms Mariam Wangadya, the chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, an undue advantage of 20% of the anticipated enhanced budget for the commission
The allegations point to the budget for the financial year 2024/2025 where the MPs were allegedly involved in the improper influence over the decisions of the Budget Committee of Parliament to increase the Commission’s budget in consideration of the said undue advantage.
On June 6, while delivering the State of the Nation Address, President Museveni promised action against MPs and Ministry of Finance officials whom he said were involved in budget corruption.
DailyExpress on Sunday evening broke the story in which we stated that the Police CID had issued summons against the trio and other staff at Parliament, and the Finance Ministry, after it appeared that they had allegedly connived in pushing the passing of the National Budget to serve their interests in terms of financial gains.
“I have been hearing that from the Ministry of Finance, they collude with the accounting officers of ministries to come to Parliament working with some people there (Parliament) to provide certain funds, provided you take a share. I didn’t believe this but now I have proof,” the President said on Thursday, promising to crack the whip against those implicated.
He further ordered police and prosecutors to go after the suspected thieving officials after accusing Finance and Parliament officials of transactional budgeting; legislators allegedly colluding with accounting officers to make allocations of public resources in exchange for kickbacks.
The MPs who have been in police custody since June 10 will now seek to apply for bail on Friday, June 14, when they reappear in court, just a day after the President presiding over the National Budget Reading on Thursday.