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Court issues arrest warrant for senior lawyer over Shs4b theft
What you need to know:
- Senior Principal Magistrate Grade One, Abert Asiimwe, issued the warrant on Friday, citing Makada's failure to appear in court despite several appeals and "unbelievable" documents presented by his lawyer to explain his absence.
The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court has issued a warrant of arrest against one of the senior lawyers accused of theft of more than Shs4.1 billion meant for war loss compensation to Busoga Growers Cooperatives.
The Senior Principal Magistrate Grade One, Abert Asiimwe on Friday issued the warrant of arrest against Mr Fred Makada of Makada and Makada Advocates.
“The case against Mr Makada and three others has been in court since July 22, 2024, and he has not brought himself to court despite several appeals and documents presented by his lawyer to explain his absence,” he held.
“The actions of Makada and his lawyer not only infringed upon the accused's right to a fair and timely trial but also hindered the prosecution's ability to complete investigations,” Mr Asiimwe added before adjourning the case to October 18.
This was after the prosecution led by Mr Baine Stanley and Ms Anna Kiiza objected to the documents submitted by Makada's lawyer, pointing out discrepancies in his travel documents. According to the documents, Makada allegedly travelled to the United States on July 12, 2024, for medical treatment, but records show he made a statement at the police station on August 9, 2024.
"Your worship, there are a lot of discrepancies in this document as it is implausible for Makada to have left the country as claimed, given his presence at the police station just a few weeks later," Mr Baine said.
Makada is facing charges of abuse of office, causing financial loss, theft by agent, and conspiracy to defraud, alongside fellow advocate John Matovu and Mr Charles Basoga, 63, chairperson of Busoga Growers Cooperative and Mr, James Muganza 56, District Commercial Officer.
Prosecution contends that between 2018 and 2023 in Kampala and Jinja districts being employed as a district commercial officer, Jinja District Local Government and chairperson of Basoga Growers Cooperative Union in abuse of authority of his employer Mr Muganza did an arbitrary act, prejudicial to the interest of his employer to wit he received Shs250million funds meant for war compensation to Busoga Growers Cooperative Union while Mr Basoga received over Shs569 million.
It is further alleged that Mr Muganza and Mr Basoga put the said money to their personal use knowing or having reason to believe that such an act would cause financial loss to Busoga Growers Cooperative Union.
On the two counts of theft by the agent that the two lawyers separately face, the prosecution states that while being entrusted as advocates for Busoga Growers Cooperative Union to pursue war loss compensation claim from the government Mr Matovu between 2018 and 2023 stole Shs4,051,500,000 while Mr Makada stole Shs1,210,000,000 billion funds meant for war loss compensation.
Prosecution also contends that Mr Muganza, Mr Matovu and Mr Basoga and others still at large conspired to defraud Shs4,051,500,000 billion funds meant for war loss compensation to Busoga Growers Cooperatives.
