Money laundering charge walks Ssali, MPs to remand home

The Anti-Corruption Court in Nakasero turned out to be just a stopover for Geraldine Ssali's destination to the lakeside Luzira Prisons after an additional money laundering charge slapped on her meant she can only seek bail from a higher court.

The Trade, Industry and Cooperatives ministry permanent secretary, Ssali, could not even take a plea before magistrate Joan Aciro after the new charge was added by the prosecution to leave her facing a capital offence.

Ms Ssali was arraigned before the court for a second day in succession, today, to formally start the big fall from the skies life had scaled for her.

She spent the night at Kira Division Police and in that stopover at Nakasero, she had the company of three legislators and lawyer.

Ms Ssali was ushered into the dock alongside MPs Micheal Mawanda, Ignatius Wamakuyu, and Paul Akamba.

The other two co-accused are lawyer Julius Kirya Taitankonko and Leonard Kavundira, the principle co-operative officer at the Trade ministry.

Apart from Ms Ssali, the other five have been on remand for a month now.

However, Ssali and the co-accused have not pleaded to the charges after the DPP's amendments introduced the charge of money laundering which is grave in nature and only triable by the High Court.

This means the suspects have also lost their bid to apply and be released on bail at this stage as they can only do so in the High Court where they have also been committed to.

Prosecution alleges that Ms Ssali, during the financial year 2021/ 2022 and 2022/ 2023, introduced Buyaka Growers Co-operative Society among those to be compensated by government for the war loss yet it had not been listed for a supplementary budget of August 2021.

That Ssali in further performance of her duties, made irregular payments to a tune of Shs3.868 billion to Kirya and Company Advocates, a law firm belonging to co-suspect lawyer Julius Kirya Taitankonko, under the guise of compensating war victims of Buyaka Growers well knowing that her actions will cause government a financial loss because the said payment was in contravention of the Treasury instructions of 2017.

Ms Ssali is further accused of conspiring with Igara East MP Micheal Mawanda, Elgon County MP Iganatius Wamakuyu, Busiki County MP Paul Akamba, lawyer Kirya and Kavundira to defraud the government of Shs3.4 billion which was intended to compensate war victims for Buyaka Growers Co-operative society.

The introduction of Ssali and new charges of money laundering, stealing by agent and recieving stolen property means that the three MPs, lawyer Kirya and Kavundira had to be read the charges afresh.

Chief State Attorney Edward Muhumuza informed the court that inquiries in the matter were complete and that they were ready to take off with the case once they are committed to High Court

Muhumuza then presented committal papers containing the summary of evidence for the DPP.

According to the DPP, MP Mawanda was a client of Kirya and Company Advocates where lawyer Julius Kirya is a sole signatory to the company's account in dfcu Bank.

The DPP said MPs Akamba and Wamakuyu are members of the Parliamentary Budget committee and approved that different co--operatives of war claimants be compensated.

That Buyaka put in a claim of Shs17.3bn and Ssali wrote to the PS at Finance ministry requesting for a supplementary budget which was later approved without any justification.

That the Shs17.3 billion was paid to the account of Kirya and Company Advocates who later disbursed it to the accounts of the three jailed MPs .

Evidence also shows that Kavundira coarced Buyaka Growers cooperative leadership to abandon their lawyers of Angualia and Company Advocates and Mungoma and Company Advocates to take up Kirya and Company Advocates.

Prosecutions also avers that during the NRA Liberation war between 1981 and 1986, victims made claims for loss of their property and livelihood, hence government opted to compensate them.

Investigations revealed that MP Mawanda used part of the money that was meant to compensate Buyaka War victims to settle his pending law suit between Eng George Turyakira before the Commercial Court whereas MP Wamakuyu used the money to pay a long standing debt with a money lender Rajinish Jain.

Ms Ssali and the co-accused five were booked onto the famous brown UU bus and driven to Luzira to await the High Court to order their attainment.

Prosecution shall rely on the a acknowledgements receipts from money lenders to prove that the three MPs committed actions of money laundering .