By Spy Uganda
Kampala — Proceedings in the high-profile Shs3.8 billion cooperative compensation case involving former Ministry of Trade Permanent Secretary Geraldine Ssali and several co-accused have stalled, pending a decisive ruling from the Constitutional Court on alleged rights violations.
One of the accused, Akamba, contends that he was subjected to torture during his arrest, arguing that his fundamental human rights were grossly infringed. On that basis, he is seeking dismissal of the charges, a move that has effectively shifted the matter into constitutional interpretation territory.
Ssali is jointly charged alongside Igara East MP Michael Mawanda Maranga, Elgon County MP Ignatius Wamakuyu Mudimi, city lawyer Julius Taitankoko Kirya, and Principal Cooperative Officer Leonard Kavundira.
The prosecution accuses them of abuse of office, conspiracy to defraud, causing financial loss, and money laundering linked to Shs3.8 billion earmarked for Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society Limited.
State prosecutors assert that Ssali irregularly inserted Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society onto the list of entities eligible for government compensation for war-related losses during the 2021/2022 financial year, despite the entity not appearing in the ოფიციally approved supplementary budget of August 4, 2021.
It is further alleged that in the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 financial cycles, Ssali authorised payments totalling Shs3.8 billion to Kirya and Company Advocates in contravention of the 2017 Treasury Instructions.
The state maintains that the accused either knew or ought to have known that their actions would occasion financial loss to government—an argument forming the backbone of the prosecution’s case.
Prosecutors additionally claim that between 2019 and 2023, the accused conspired to defraud government of Shs3.4 billion intended for compensating cooperatives affected during the 1981–1986 liberation war and subsequent insurgencies.
The Anti-Corruption Court proceedings have already been marred by procedural interruptions. At one stage, the matter was adjourned due to the absence of the Assistant Registrar, compounded by the non-appearance of the prosecution, prompting defence lawyers to successfully secure bail extensions for all
The delay underscores an emerging trend in Uganda’s high-stakes corruption litigation, where accused persons increasingly invoke constitutional safeguards to challenge the legality of their arrest and prosecution.
For now, the case remains in judicial limbo, with its trajectory hinging on the Constitutional Court’s forthcoming determination—one that could either resurrect the trial or dismantle it entirely.
