Geraldine Ssali Busuulwa, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade, Industries, and Cooperatives, has been remanded to Luzira Prison on charges of diverting funds, abuse of office, and conspiracy involving three MPs, a lawyer, and a ministry official.
Ssali was first brought to court on Thursday, but Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro ordered her return to police custody until Friday. The court accepted amendments from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which named Ssali as the sixth suspect and introduced new charges, including money laundering, which can only be tried by the High Court.
Ssali appeared in court with MPs Michael Mawanda, Ignatius Wamakuyu, and Paul Akamba, lawyer Julius Kirya Taitankonko, and Leonard Kavundira, a principal cooperative officer today . The group has been on remand for a month on charges of diverting public resources and conspiracy to defraud. The new charges, including money laundering, mean that bail applications must now be made to the High Court.
Prosecution alleges that during the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 financial years, while serving as the accounting officer for the Ministry of Trade, Ssali irregularly introduced Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society Ltd. for government compensation, despite it not being listed in the August 2021 supplementary budget. She is accused of making irregular payments amounting to 3.87 billion shillings to Kirya and Company Advocates, violating Treasury instructions.
Furthermore, Ssali and her co-accused are alleged to have conspired to defraud the government of 3.4 billion shillings intended for Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society. The introduction of new charges necessitates that MPs Mawanda, Akamba, and Wamakuyu, lawyer Taitankonko, and Kavundira be read the charges afresh.
Chief State Attorney Edward Muhumuza informed the court that inquiries are complete and has been instructed to transfer the six suspects to the Anti-Corruption High Court for trial. Muhumuza presented committal papers summarizing the evidence, including details about MP Mawanda’s connection with Kirya and Company Advocates and MPs Akamba and Wamakuyu’s roles in approving cooperative compensation.
