Makubuya, Bbumba cleared over Basajja’s Shs140b pay

What you need to know:

The DPP has so far cleared three of the four people. Mr Basajjabalaba is yet to be cleared of forgery charges.

Kampala- The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has cleared two former ministers Prof Khiddu Makubuya and Ms Syda Bbumba of any wrongdoing in the controversial Shs142b compensation to Kampala businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba.

Two years ago, police had preferred charges of causing financial loss and abuse of officer against Prof Makubuya, Ms Bbumba and Tumusiime Mutebile, the Governor of the Central Bank, and submitted the file to the DPP for legal advice.

Police also preferred forgery and abuse of office charges against Mr Basajjabalaba.

“They (Bbumba and Makubuya) were cleared,” Ms Jane Okuo Kajuga, the DPP spokesperson said on Wednesday.

In February 2012, Makubuya and Bbumba were forced to resign as ministers after Parliament reprimanded them for irregularities in the Basajjabalaba compensation payments.

The Shs142b compensation by government arose after Kampala City Council (now Kampala Capital City Authority) rescinded its earlier decision to sell Nakasero, Shauriyako and St Balikuddembe (Owino) markets and Constitution Square to Mr Basajjabalaba’s company Haba Group in 2008.

An independent audit showed Haba Group did not deserve any compensation. It was also discovered that the consent judgement was forged.

The then Public Accounts Committee chairperson, Mr Kassiano Wadri, instructed CIID to investigate a consent judgment dated October 6, 2010, which former Solicitor General, Mr Billy Kainamura and a court registrar, Stephen Musota, disowned and said was a forgery.

Mr Basajjabalaba is now the only person among the four suspects still battling a case of forging a consent judgement which was used to compensate him. He, however, appealed to a higher court thus stalling the forgery case in the Anti-Corruption Court.

The DPP first cleared Mr Mutebile of any culpability. The DPP said he ordered the payments in accordance with the law.

Ms Grace Akullo, the director of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence, said the DPP had not officially informed them about the clearance of the former ministers.

“We sent files to the DPP in 2012; they have never brought them back. So I can’t tell whether the people we preferred charges against have been cleared or not,” she said.

Efforts to speak to Ms Bbumba were futile as her known mobile phone was switched off. Our calls to Mr Makubuya went unanswered.