Geraldine Ssali Busuulwa, former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade, has applied for bail before Anti-Corruption Court Judge Jane Okuo Kajuga.
Ssali presented herself as a responsible citizen, married mother of three, and sole financial supporter of her elderly parents and children.
She offered to deposit her passport, national ID, and land title as security.
Ssali’s lawyer presented five sureties, including her maternal uncle, brother, sister, and two long-time friends, whom she said are gainfully employed and have the financial capacity to meet the court bond.
However, prosecution lawyer Edward Muhumuza objected to Ssali’s bail application, citing her potential to influence witnesses and dispose of proceeds of crime.
Court is set to rule on her bail on August 30.
Meanwhile , Elgon County MP Wamakuyu Mudimi Ignatius, a co-accused in the same case, has been granted a cash bail of Shs35million while his sureties non-cash bond of Shs50m
bail
Justice Kajuga has also ordered him to deposit his passport and home title certificate in court before he could be released.
The prosecution alleges that Ssali and her co-accused diverted public resources and conspired to defraud the government of Shs3.4billion meant for compensating NRA war victims. Ssali and her co-accused have denied the charges.
Other suspects are MPs Michael Mawanda (Igara East), Paul Akamba (Busiki County) together with lawyer Julius Taitankoko Kirya and Leonard Kavundira, the principal cooperative officer from the Ministry of Trade.
