The Buganda Road Magistrates Court has cleared the former Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Airlines Cornwell Muleya on charges of disobedience of lawful orders by the Inspectorate of Government.
Muleya was charged before Buganda Road Court with Disobedience of orders of the Inspectorate of Government after he declined to furnish the office of the IG with relevant information in regard to the mismanagement of public funds, procurement, and recruitment of staff at the Uganda Airlines.
His charges were contrary to section 35 (a) of the Inspectorate of Government Act, 2002.
Court heard that between May and June 2022, Muleya willfully and without reasonable justification or excuse refused to comply with an order of the Inspectorate of Government dated May 23, 2022, requiring his attendance to give evidence and produce documents to the Inspectorate of Government regarding mismanagement of public funds, procurement and Recruitment of Staff at the Uganda Airlines.
However, on Monday, the Court presided over by Grade One Magistrate Asuman Muhumuza dismissed the charges against Muleya on grounds that the accused proved beyond reasonable doubt that at the time of the summons, he had traveled to South Africa and returned sick, hence couldn’t show up in the office.
This ruling comes just days after the same court ordered the hearing of a case in which the Zambian National was accused of disobeying lawful orders. The court presided over by Muhumuza and ordered Muleya to prepare his defense over the allegations that were levied against him.
Muleya presented to Court documents from Mulago National Referral Hospital showing how he had been diagnosed with hypertension and given four types of medicine to swallow for ten days shortly after the doctors had managed his pressure with a drip because it was very high.
He also submitted before Court a copy of his passport to show stamps of how he exited Entebbe and entered South Africa and accessed Dubai before returning to Uganda at around the time he told the IGG that he was away.
