The Buganda Road Magistrates Court has ruled that the former Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Airlines Cornwell Muleya declining orders to record a statement has a case to answer.
On Friday, the presiding Grade One Magistrate Asuman Muhumuza directed Muleya to prepare his defense for a hearing over the charges.
Muleya and 12 other top officials were forced out of the airline on the orders of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to pave way for investigations into allegations of financial mismanagement, collusion, and nepotism in staff recruitment among other issues.
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The prosecution alleges that on May 23, 2022, the Inspectorate of Government-IG summoned Muleya to provide documents regarding the mismanagement of Public funds, procurements, and recruitment of staff at Uganda Airlines but he didn’t show up and provided no justification.
Muleya was consequently arrested by the IG on June 22nd, 2022 on charges of disobeying lawful summons to which he pleaded not guilty.
Three witnesses including the Supervisor of Special Investigations at the IGG's office Gideon Abudum told the Court that he was in April 2022 assigned a file to investigate the alleged corruption at Uganda Airlines but failed to get to Muleya.
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Abudum however retrieved some documents, analyzed them, and summoned for interviews some staff of the Airlines except for Muleya.
The witness added that they later received a letter from Muleya's lawyers questioning the way in which their client had been summoned.
In his ruling, Muhumuza said that the ingredients for the charge of disobedience of orders such as establishing if the order was served to the accused and whether he refused to comply with it have all been proven.
Muhumuza said that the testimonies contained serious allegations that required Muleya to defend himself against. Muleya told the court that he will be the only witness in the case.
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Muhumuza declined to grant Muleya’s request for bail saying there will be an expeditious hearing of the case to enable him to know his fate soon.
He adjourned the case to October 7th, 2022 for Muleya to start defending himself.
