Capt. Mukula and wife arrive at Court
FIRST READ:
Mukula: I did not catch or even smell Gavi cash: I paid Gavi money to Janet team
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2012/11/mukula-i-did-not-catch-or-even-smell.html
Mukula being Punished Like Prof.Bukenya: Uganda ex-Vice president sent to Luzira over CHOGM funds
Museveni’s Corruption cabal and how legal gymnastics are stage managed to fool the public about the government’s corruption fight: Chief Magistrate, Irene Akankwasa granted bail to NRM-O cadre Hassan Basajjabalaba
Gavi cash: Mukula to spend four years in prison
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Gavi-cash--Mukula-to-spend-four-years-in-prison/-/688334/1668952/-/a4d9qbz/-/index.html
By Anthony Wesaka
Posted Friday, January 18 2013 at 16:07
The Anti-Corruption Court Friday sentenced former junior health minister
Mike Mukula to four years in prison after finding him guilty of embezzling
Shs210 million from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation account.
The
money was meant to fund youth and women advocacy by the office of the First
Lady, Ms Janet Museveni.
MUKULA THINKS HE IS UNTOUCHABLE LIKE THE GUYS FROM THE WESTERN CONNECTION: Basajjabalaba chats with Soroti Municipality MP Mike Mukula in court. PHOTO/Maria Wamala
Chief Magistrate Irene Akankwasa sentenced Mukula
after prosecution proved that Mukula received the money.
Mukula
who is Soroti Municipality MP is the only suspect who has been convicted in the
Shs1.6 billion case after his co-accused were cleared by the court last year.
They
were Jim Muhwezi (former Health minister), Dr Alex Kamugisha (former junior
health minister) and Ms Alice Kaboyo, (former private secretary in-charge of
Political Affairs and Seminars at State House).
In
July last year, court ruled that Mukula has only accounted for Shs53 million
out of the Shs263 million he received for the vaccination project.
Capt. Mukula's wife bursts into tears after the verdict
Mukula Found Guilty, To Serve Four Years At Luzira
http://www.chimpreports.com/index.php/news/7792-gavi-funds-mukula-found-guilty-to-serve-four-years-at-luzira.html
By
Former
State Health Minister
Mike Mukula has been found guilty of embezzling Shs210m of GAVI funds.
Anti-Corruption Court Chief
Magistrate Irene Akankwasa on Friday agreed with prosecutor Sydney Asubo that
by the fact that Mukula refunded missing
money in installments
shows he had intentions to steal.
Capt Mukula's wife being taken to her car
She sentenced the Soroti
legislator and NRM Vice President for Eastern Uganda
to four years at Luzira Maximum Prison.
Asubo called for a
tough penalty to deter other civil servants from dipping their hands in the public purse.
LONG LIVE MUSEVENI'S UNTOUCHABLES FROM THE WESTERN CONNECTION
The State Attorney further
said corruption was gradually getting entrenched in Uganda which necessitated a heavy
response from the judiciary.
He further argued that
considering the embezzled funds were earmarked for the HIV/AIDS victims and the
needy, Mukula deserved a no mercy.
Akankwasa last year
exonerated Mukula’s co-accused Jim Muhwezi and Alex Kamugisha on charges of
mismanaging Shs1.6bn GAVI funds, arguing all the funds were signed for by the
former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health Mohammed Kezaala.
The state had earlier
dropped charges of theft and causing financial loss against the former
ministers, but still maintained charges of abuse of office and embezzlement.
Mukula, who has in the past
showed interest in standing for President in 2016, has since been on trial for
ignoring the law and regulations governing the disbursement of public funds by
taking direct control of the money.
Mukula allegedly signed for travel on behalf of the First
Lady Janet Museveni between February and October 2008 yet the monies had been
allocated to facilitate advocacy programs in different parts of the country.
The funds were withdrawn
from Citi Bank.
Bukenya: I am ready for life in jail
By EPHRAIM KASOZI
Posted Tuesday, October 4 2011 at 00:00
In Summary
Chronology of events- May 28,2007. Prof. Bukenya calls an emergency Chogm Cabinet sub-committee meeting and observed that the cost for purchase of 204 vehicles was Euros 8.28 million but if the option of leasing BMWs was adopted, the cost would be Euros 4.17 million.
- May 30,2007. Prof. Bukenya writes to Executive Director, Chogm 2007 Secretariat and authorises that the committee
- responsible for transport for Chogm 2007 go ahead and initiate negotiations with representatives of BMW in Uganda.
- March31, 2011. Parliament exonerates Prof. Bukenya
- May 30,2011. Prof. Bukenya summoned over Chogm cases after IGG’s investigations
- June 16,2011. Prof Bukenya charged with abuse of office
- Aug. 9,2011. Constitutional Court declares that Prof. Bukenya not protected by presidential immunity
- Aug. 23, 2011. Prof. Bukenya charged on second file; Court summons Motorcare directors.
- Oct. 3, 2011. Prof. Bukenya committed to High Court for trial, court remands him to Luzira Prison.
Despite protests from Prof. Bukenya’s lawyer, Mr MacDusman Kabega, challenging the powers of the Inspector General of Government to commit his client, Magistrate Irene Akankwasa cancelled his bail and sent him to Luzira. “The accused person is hereby committed to High Court. His bail elapses and he is remanded to custody,” held Ms Akankwasa.
Hit by the reality of prison, Prof. Bukenya broke down, tears rolling down his cheeks.
On his Facebook page, in a comment posted minutes later, Prof. Bukenya cut a forlorn image: “My friends, I have been remanded to Luzira Prison as I have been committed to the High Court and my bail has been cancelled. However, my co-accused of Motorcare have been released without taking any plea and at no conditions. I will now start a new Prison chapter in Life and with your prayers, God will intervene.”
With Prof. Bukenya’s fate known, his supporters, who had thronged court, engaged security operatives in a heated exchange over which car the politician was to be transported in to prison. Court business came to a halt for about an hour as the head of the Very Important Persons Protection Unit (VIPPU), Mr Laban Muhabwe, struggled with Prof. Bukenya’s driver to retrieve the politician’s car keys.
Prof. Bukenya’s supporters were concerned that after the ruling, he had been taken to the court registry and not into a holding cell awaiting prison transport. It later emerged that security agents wanted him transported in his personal car, a development that angered his supporters further.
“Stop duping us that you now care after putting our man down. You have achieved what you wanted now use the prison car and not his personal vehicle, who is going to pay for the fuel?” and angry aide shouted at security officials. Later, with the intervention of a senior prisons official, Prof. Bukenya, who was Vice President for eight years before he was dropped this year, was driven to Luzira Prisons in his car but escorted by prisons and police vehicles.
In the case, the IGG says Prof. Bukenya, who chaired the Chogm Cabinet subcommittee between July 2006 and November 2007 in Kampala, unlawfully and high handedly in abuse of his office, influenced and directed the award of a contract for supply of 80 units of BMW police outrider motorcycles for CHOGM to Motorcare in total disregard of the regulations governing public procurement.
Prof. Bukenya, who had been granted a cash bail of Shs50 million and had deposited his passport with court, is jointly charged with Motorcare Uganda, the company that was awarded the Shs9.4 billion Chogm cars contract. Yesterday, court released two Motorcare company officials; Ms Florence Ssempebwa and Mr Moses Banturaki, without taking plea and without pre-conditions despite submission that they were appointed to represent the company.
The two company officials had earlier been rejected by Magistrate Sarah Langa who summoned the company directors and chief executives. Ms Akankwasa, who earlier ordered the remand of the officials, revised her order to release them after their lawyer said that despite representing the company, the charge was against Motorcare Uganda.
Uganda’s ex-VP Bukenya sent to Luzira over CHOGM funds
http://www.independent.co.ug/ugandatalks/2011/10/ugandas-ex-vp-bukenya-sent-to-luzira-over-chogm-funds/
IRENE AKANKWASA, an Anti- Corruption Court Chief Magistrate remanded Bukenya to Luzira after she committing him to High Court to face trial.
According to Section 168 of the Chief Magistrate’s Act, once an accused person is committed to High Court for trial, his or her bail is cancelled.
Efforts by his lawyer MacDosman Kabega, to save him arguing that the mandate to commit an accused person lies with the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and that the IGG does not have such powers were fruitless.
The Inspectorate of Government director of legal affairs said that the IGG can investigate, prosecute and has the power to commit an accused person for trial.
Bukenya had pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him by the Inspector General of Government that implicated Bukenya for conniving with Motor Care to award the contract for the supply of 80 units of BMW during the preparations for the CHOGM without going through the proper procedures.
The charges came just after parliament had cleared him together with other ministers including Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi. Around the the same time Bukenya lost his position as Vice President and came the news of the charges.
But Bukenya’s lawyer Mac Dusman Kabega managed to secure bail. Court requested Bukenya to deposit his passport and Shs. 50 million
He petitioned the constitutional court seeking nullification of his trial in the Anti-Corruption Court saying the decisions he made during preparations for the CHOGM summit were on behalf of the President who enjoys immunity from prosecution.
But the Court ruled that he had no immunity from civil or criminal liability over personal acts he performed while still serving VP.
