Uganda court charges senior finance officials with corruption over central bank hacking

A Ugandan courtroom on Wednesday charged 9 senior officers from the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Financial Improvement over their alleged involvement in corruption, digital fraud, and cash laundering in reference to a hacking incident that led to a monetary lack of at the very least $21 million from the nation’s central financial institution.

The hacking occurred final yr and concerned redirecting some funds from its meant beneficiary to completely different recipients, in keeping with the costs learn in a Justice of the Peace’s courtroom within the capital Kampala. Final November, State Minister for Finance Henry Musasizi confirmed the hacking of the central financial institution’s account and the Financial institution of Uganda mentioned it was awaiting a police investigation right into a information report that offshore hackers stole 62 billion Ugandan shillings ($16.8 million) from the central financial institution. Uganda’s police had detained finance ministry officers on February 5  as a part of an investigation into accusations of hacking.

The chargesheet filed in Justice of the Peace courtroom has a complete of 11 costs in opposition to the accused out of which 5 costs are of corruption, two costs of monetary loss, one for abuse of workplace, two for digital fraud, and one for cash laundering. All these costs have been costs below the Anti-Corruption Act and The Laptop Misuse Act.

In keeping with the cost sheet funds meant for the Worldwide Improvement Affiliation (IDA), a World Financial institution affiliate, as repayments for Uganda’s loans have been illegally redirected to firms in Japan, Poland, and the UK. Courtroom paperwork present {that a} $6.134 million debt servicing compensation to the World Financial institution was as a substitute despatched to Highway Manner Firm in Japan, with the cash touchdown in an account at MFUFG Financial institution on November 12 and $8.569 million meant for the African Improvement Financial institution was paid to NJS Worldwide in London on September 28.

The accused have been the Accountant Basic within the Ministry of Finance, Lawrence Semakula, the appearing director of Treasury Providers and Asset Administration, Jennifer Muhuruzi, a senior IT officer, Tonny Yawe, a programs IT officer, Paul Nkalubo Lumala, a senior accountant within the Treasury Providers Division, Deborah Dorothy Kusiima, an accountant, Judith Ashaba, a analysis assistant, Bettina Nayebare, and an IT programs officer,  Mark Kasiiku. The courtroom has issued legal summonses in opposition to  Pedson Twesigomwe, the assistant commissioner after she failed to show up in courtroom. The group was not allowed to take a plea to the cost of cash laundering as it’s only triable by the Excessive Courtroom.

Lawyer Max Mutabingwa, who represented one of many suspects, tried to use for bail, however the suspects have been denied bail and remanded in custody till February 18, when their case will probably be talked about within the excessive courtroom. As a result of severity of the offenses, that are solely triable within the excessive courtroom, they weren’t allowed to enter a plea.  Authorities will proceed to research the complete extent of the breach and whether or not further people have been concerned within the fraud.