The Anti-Corruption Court has granted bail to six out of nine government officials accused of manipulating payment systems to steal Shs 60 billion from public funds.
Justice Lawrence Gidudu granted the bail on Monday, setting amounts between Shs 20 million and Shs 30 million depending on the suspects' level of involvement. The court also required each surety to execute a non-cash bond of Shs 200 million to Shs 300 million. The accused must deposit their land titles and passports with the court and are barred from accessing their offices. They must also report to the court registrar starting April 3, 2025.
The officials granted bail include Lawrence Ssemakula, Accountant General at the Ministry of Finance; Jennifer Muhuruzi, Acting Director of Treasury Services and Asset Management; Paul Nkalubo Lumala, IT Systems Officer; Deborah Dorothy Kusiima, Senior Accountant in the Treasury Services Department; Judith Ashaba, Accountant; and Bettina Nayebare, Research Assistant.
However, the court denied bail to Mark Kasiiku, an IT Systems Officer, and Tonny Yawe, a Senior IT Officer. Justice Gidudu ruled that Kasiiku deceptively secured unlawful gains and concealed a fraudulent $6.1 million payment to a company in Japan. Meanwhile, Yawe allegedly altered payment files in the Electronic Funds Management Information System (EFMis), playing a major role in the fraud. The judge advised them to reapply for bail with sufficient security.
A third suspect, Pedison Twesigomwe, Assistant Commissioner for Accounts at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, was charged separately two weeks ago and did not apply for bail. He remains on remand alongside Yawe and Kasiiku.
Prosecution Details Massive Fraud
Prosecutors allege that Ssemakula and Muhuruzi failed to implement security measures, leading to a loss of $652,588.2 to the Government of Uganda. Yawe allegedly manipulated payment instruction files from the International Development Association (IDA) in Washington, diverting funds meant for a legitimate recipient to Roadway Company Ltd in Poland under false pretenses.
Twesigomwe is accused of being an accomplice in the scheme, which prosecutors claim illicitly enriched Roadway Company. The suspects face 11 charges, including corruption, causing financial loss, electronic fraud, and money laundering.
How the Fraud Unfolded
According to police investigations, the stolen funds vanished from the Bank of Uganda (BoU) in September 2024 and were transferred to accounts in the United Kingdom, Japan, and other Asian countries. Initially, authorities suspected a hacker, but forensic analysis by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS) ruled out an external cyberattack.
Once it became clear that the fraud was an inside job, President Yoweri Museveni directed DIS to assist in the investigation. By the end of 2024, at least 21 officials from BoU, the Ministry of Finance, and the Accountant General’s office had been interrogated, and their electronic devices confiscated for forensic analysis.
Efforts to Recover the Funds
Sources revealed that BoU successfully recovered more than half of the stolen Shs 60 billion through UK banks. However, attempts to reclaim funds transferred to Asian countries failed. Investigators believe that some of the money withdrawn from foreign accounts was secretly returned to Ugandan beneficiaries in cash, while the rest was used to purchase goods for them.
The case remains under investigation as authorities pursue those who may have benefited from the fraudulent scheme.