Three Members of Parliament (MPs) accused of budget corruption have been sent to the High Court for trial following their arrest last week. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has requested the Anti-Corruption Magistrate’s Court to transfer the case of the three MPs to the High Court Anti-Corruption Division for trial.
Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya informed the court, presided over by Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro, that he received instructions from the DPP to have Mr. Yusuf Mutembuli, Mr. Paul Akamba, and Ms. Cissy Namujju committed to the High Court after police concluded their investigations.
However, only Mr. Mutembuli and Ms. Namujju appeared in court as Mr. Akamba’s whereabouts remain unknown. He was violently arrested by gunmen in civilian clothes last Friday, moments after he was granted bail.
The prosecution alleges that the three legislators solicited a bribe of 20 percent from Ms. Mariam Wangadya, the chairperson of the Human Rights Commission (UHRC), on May 13, 2024, at Hotel Africana. They allegedly claimed they could influence the Parliamentary Budget Committee to increase the UHRC’s budget for the 2024/2025 financial year in exchange for the bribe.
