The Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court has granted land boss, David Balondemu a cash bail of Shs 5 million and a non-cash bond of Shs 20 million for his sureties.
This decision was made by Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayiizi, who deemed the sureties substantial.
Mr Kayiizi has also ordered that Balondemu must deposit his passport and cannot leave the country without court permission.
The court scheduled the next hearing for November 26 and extended the warrant of arrest for Dr. Hassan Ssegujja, Balondemu’s co-accused.
Mr Kayiizi acknowledged the state’s concerns about Balondemu’s repeated failure to appear in court, leading to a warrant of arrest and newspaper advertisements. However, he agreed with the defense that service by advertisement is ineffective, as Balondemu may not have seen the summons.
Balondemu faces three charges: two counts of forgery and one of conspiracy to commit a felony, which he denies.
He allegedly forged medical documents, including a prescription and CT scan forms, with Dr. Ssegujja and others at Kampala Hospital in 2023.
Previously, Grade One Magistrate Winnie Nankya dismissed a fraud case against Balondemu due to the prosecution’s failure to present a witness. In that case, Balondemu was accused of obtaining over Shs 2 billion from a US-based firm, KG Unlimited LLC, with co-accused Joseph Ibona and Eric Geoffrey Mkwe.
Balondemu had presented forged documents to support his bail application, claiming he needed surgery at Kampala Hospital.
