BoU sh60b heist: Accountant General Semakula granted bail

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Six finance ministry officials including the interdicted Accountant General Lawrence Ssemakula, charged in connection to the alleged shillings 60 billion BoU heist, have been released on bail after finding their sureties substantial.

Others are Jennifer Muhuruzi, 55, (commissioner treasury services); Pedson Twesigomwe, 45, (Assistant Commissioner Accounts); Paul Nkalubo Lumala, 40, (IT systems officer), Deborah Dorothy Kusiima, 33, (senior accountant), Judith Ashaba, 43, (accountant), and Bettina Nayebare, 31, (research assistant accountant).

Meanwhile, the Nakasero-based Anti-Corruption Court presided over by Justice Lawrence Gidudu of the Anti-Corruption Court on March 3, 2025, declined to grant bail to Tony Yawe,46, (senior IT officer) and Mark Kasiiku, 33, (IT specialist) on grounds that their sureties are not substantial.

“The bail of Yawe and Kasiiku are not granted. They have not provided sufficient security to secure release on bail given their active roles on Integrated Financial Management. They need to do more,” Gidudu stated.

Security

The Judge released Semakula on a cash bail of shillings 30 million and ordered him to deposit his land title for plot 42 Bukoto crescent, Naguru. The court also ordered him to deposit in court his passport.

His sureties: Jane Rose Semakula Ikiror (wife and deputy clerk of the Parliament) and Vincent Tumusiime Bamugaya (Directorate of Economic Affairs and Research at Office of the President and Cabinet) were directed to execute a noncash bail of shillings 500 million.

Semakula has also been prevented from going to office except with permission of the finance ministry permanent secretary Ramathan Ggoobi.

The accused are battling charges of corruption, abuse of office, causing financial loss, money laundering and electronic fraud.

Allegations

Prosecution alleges that Ssemakula and Muhuruzi between January and October 2024, at the finance ministry at Plot 2-8, Sir Apollo Kaggwa Road, in Kampala City, neglected to put in place effective systems to safeguard public funds, which resulted into a financial loss of $6,525,852 (about sh23.9b), to the Government.

It is purported that Twesigomwe, Kusiima and Lumala between September 9 and 11, 2024, at the finance ministry headquarters in Kampala, participated as accomplices, in the commission of the offence of corruption, when they allegedly concealed the irregular payment of $6,134,137 (sh22.5b) to an unauthorised payee in the name of Roadway Company Limited.

Yawe is accused of irregularly altering the payment instructions for sh22.5b that was supposed to be paid to International Development Association for principal and interest by substituting the intended payee with Roadway Company Limited purporting to be payment for recycling plant and machinery, for purposes of illicitly obtaining benefits for the said company.

He allegedly committed the offence between September 9 and 11, 2024, at the finance ministry headquarters offices in Kampala.

Prosecution also alleges that between September 20, and October 1, 2024, at the finance ministry offices in Kampala, Kasiiku, manipulated the payment instruction files in respect of $391,720, (sh1,4b), which was supposed to be paid to International Development Association to MJS International London, a company that was not entitled to the said payment.

Prosecution alleges that Yawe in January 2024 at the finance ministry headquarters in Kampala, by means of deception and with intention of securing an unlawful gain, deliberately manipulated the payment instruction files of the integrated financial management system by altering the payment details from International Development Association Washington, who was the intended payee, $6,674,320 (sh24.5b) to an unintended payee in the name of International Development Association Sielska, Poznan, Poland.

According to prosecution, Yawe abused the authority of his office by allegedly committing the arbitrary act, which is prejudicial to the interests of his employer (Government).

On the other hand, Kasiiku is accused of introducing executable-like scripts on the oracle programme on the integrated financial management system that resulted into authorised payment of $8,596,824 (sh31.5b) to MJS International London, between September 23, 2024, and September 27, 2024.

Yawe, Twesigomwe, Kusiima, Nayebare, Lumala and Kasiiku were also charged with money laundering, contrary to section 3 (b)., 116 and 136 (a) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The offence elicits a 15-year jail term or a fine not exceeding sh2b, on conviction.