The State House Anti-Corruption Unit together with Police have arrested the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Trade, Industries and Cooperatives, Geraldine Ssali Busuulwa on Charges of abuse of office, conspiracy to defraud and causing financial loss.
Ssali was earlier summoned by police over the mismanagement of funds intended to compensate cooperative associations for their losses during previous wars in Uganda.
Ssali was charged by the State with causing financial loss and conspiring with Members of Parliament to embezzle funds meant for cooperatives.
She joins MPs; Michael Mawanda Maranga, Mudiimi Wamakuyu, Paul Akamba, Lawyer Julius Kirya Taitankonko and Leonard Kavundira a Ministry of Trade official who were earlier charged for the diversion of over UGX3.4B meant for war loss compensation by the government to Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society.
A report from Parliament in October 2023, sanctioned by Speaker Anita Among on August 25, 2023, accused Ssali’s Ministry of making fraudulent payments totaling 48.77 billion Shillings between FY 2019/2020 and 2022/2023. These payments were either in excess of or entirely outside the amounts allocated to specific cooperatives in the Ministry’s work plan.
The Committee’s findings highlighted several cooperatives that were illegally paid, including:
- Lambuli Central Pulpery Cooperative Society: 4.70 billion Shillings
- Jinja Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd: 4.8 billion Shillings
- Buyaka Cooperative Society: 3.5 billion Shillings
- Masaaba Cooperative Union: 5 billion Shillings
- Bumwambu Cooperative Society Ltd: 6 billion Shillings
- Masaka Cooperative Union: 7 billion Shillings
- Bwavumpologoma Growers Cooperative Union Ltd: 2.75 billion Shillings
The Committee also recommended that Ssali be investigated by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for potential prosecution under Section 79 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2015. This recommendation was based on Ssali’s unlawful authorization of a 1.74 billion Shillings payment to Okoro Coffee Growers Cooperative Union Limited in Zombo before its verification.
