Shs 60bn Bank of Uganda heist trial involving Finance officials begins

What the report says

The trial of nine Ministry of Finance officials accused of diverting more than $14 million, or about Shs 60 billion, from government payment systems began at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala, according to The Observer. Prosecutors allege that the money was redirected in March 2024 to foreign companies after payment files generated through the Integrated Financial Management System were altered before being sent to the Bank of Uganda.

Those on trial include former Accountant General Lawrence Ssemakula and other officials from the Treasury and information systems units. The prosecution says the funds were meant for international lenders, including the International Development Association and the African Development Fund, but were instead sent to unintended beneficiaries. The accused deny the charges.

The first witness, Dr Edward Ssengozi Damulira, the ministry’s under secretary and accounting officer, testified about earlier government spending on upgrades to financial systems. He said the ministry received Shs 13 billion in supplementary funding in the 2022/2023 financial year after requesting Shs 26 billion for the upgrade, which covered the IFMS, the Programme Budgeting System and the Electronic Government Procurement System. He also told court he later learned of a security incident involving government payments and that efforts were made to recover the money, though he was not directly involved in Treasury operations.

The hearing opened after the defence said it was ready to proceed and did not object to six assessors being appointed. The case is likely to draw attention because it involves alleged misuse of core government financial infrastructure and payments linked to international obligations.