Three Members of Parliament (MPs) accused of alleged involvement in a budget corruption scandal involving Parliament and Finance Ministry officials have been remanded to Luzira prison.
The have appeared before the Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro who sent then on remand as investigations continue.
The trio was detained on Monday before detectives yesterday spent hours searching their respective homes in Kampala and Wakiso districts.
The accused MPs are Lwengo District Woman MP Cissy Namujju, Bunyole East MP Yousuf Mutembuli, and Paul Akamba of Busiki County.
They arrived at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kololo this afternoon amid tight security.
It is alleged that the three on May 11th, 2024 at Hotel Africana in Kampala, solicited from Mariam Wangadya the chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, an undue advantage of 20% of the anticipated enhanced budget of her commission for the financial year 2024/ 2025.
They are alleged to have promised to exert influence over the decision making of the budget committee of parliament to increase the commission budget.
Their arrest on Monday this week followed concerns by president Museveni that there are corrupt MPs who collude with officials from the Ministry of Finance during budgetary allocations.
The accused MPs were then summoned and reported to the Criminal Intelligence Directorate in Kibuli and were held at Kira Police Divisional Headquarters where they were later taken for a search at their respective homes.
They have however denied corruption charges before Chief Magistrate Aciro and State Prosecutor Nicholas Kawooya informed court that police investigations are still on-going.
Through their respective lawyers, the accused MPs applied to be released on bail after presenting their surities including Mutibwa Derrick MP Bunyole West, Namukose Minsa Kirya a community development officer in Mukono municipal Council and a sister to MP Mutembule.
MP Akamba has been introduced in court as a resident of Kyanja in Nakawa division and also presented his passport. He has also presented Nayigaga Mariam; the Namutumba District woman MP, Robert Kasolo an MP of Ikiki County in Budaka District and Kibalya Henry MP Bugabula County South as his surities.
For Donozia Cissy Namujju , a 46 year old woman MP and has presented Sentayi Muhammad Mp for Bukoto County West, Hassan Bulwadda; the owner of Bulwadda clinic on Gayaza Road and her long business partner, Ssemwanga Javira; MP Buyamba County in Rakai district to stand for her as surities.
Their lawyers Asuman Basalirwa, Mwesigwa Caleb and Richard Rugambwa however put it to court’s attention that the suspects’ rights were breached as police held them incommunicado yet they were co-operative to the extent of voluntarily answering the summons and leading police to their residencies to conduct a search.
However State prosecutor Nicholas Kawooya objected to Namujju and Akamba’s bail application because they didnot provide proof inform letters written by Local Council (LC) authorities from their respective residences as per the bail guidelines yet he needs ample time to verify the one presented by Mutembule .
Cheif magistrate Aciro adjourned the case to 14th/ June for mention and ruling on whether the state should be given more time to verify the sureties’ documents.
If found culpable, the MPs face up to a ten years imprisonment term or a fine of 4.8m shillings.
