BoU sh60b heist: Accountant General Semakula returns to court

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The nine interdicted finance ministry officials, including Accountant General Lawrence Ssemakula, charged in connection with the alleged shillings 60 billion Bank of Uganda (BOU) heist, return to the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala for the mention of their case.

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), Bettina Nayebare, 31, (research assistant accountant), Tony Yawe,46, (senior IT officer) and Mark Kasiiku, 33, (IT specialist).

The accused, who are currently out on bail, are expected to appear before Chief Magistrate Fred Peter Lochomin. 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 in 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 the 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 (about shillings 1.4 billion), which was supposed to be paid to the 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 (about shillings 24.5 billion) 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 an 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 in authorised payment of $8,596,824 (about shillings 31.5 billion) 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 15-year jail term or a fine not exceeding sh2b, on conviction.