Forgery case: Land boss Balondemu granted bail
Kampala District Land Board Chairperson, David Balondemu in the dock at Buganda Road Court recently
What you need to know:
- While granting bail, the Chief Magistrate acknowledged the state's claim that Balondemu had received multiple summons, which led to the issuance of a warrant and subsequent advertising in newspapers.
The Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court has granted bail to embattled land boss David Balondemu, who faces forgery charges.
Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayiizi approved a cash bail of Shs5 million for Balondemu, with his sureties providing a non-cash bond of Shs20 million after the court found them substantial. The court also ordered Balondemu to surrender his passport and prohibited him from leaving the country without permission.
"The accused will return on November 26 for the hearing, and the warrant for Dr Hassan Ssegujja has been extended," Mr Kayiizi ruled.
While granting bail, the Chief Magistrate acknowledged the state's claim that Balondemu had received multiple summons, which led to the issuance of a warrant and subsequent advertising in newspapers. However, he concurred with the defense that substitute service via advertisement is ineffective.
"There is a possibility that the accused did not see the papers that day and thus missed the court summons," Mr Kayiizi stated.
Balondemu faces three charges: two counts of forgery and one of conspiracy to commit a felony, which he has denied.
The court heard that Balondemu was arrested at the airport, while his co-accused, Dr Ssegujja, a medical doctor at Mulago, has never appeared in court. They are accused of fraudulently creating false documents, including a prescription medical form dated November 7, 2023, and a CT scan medical form dated June 12, 2023, at Kampala Hospital.
According to the charge sheet, Balondemu, Ssegujja, and others still at large knowingly and fraudulently made these documents and conspired to commit a felony in 2023 at Kampala Hospital.
In July, presiding Grade One Magistrate Ms. Winnie Nankya dismissed a previous fraud case against Balondemu after the prosecution failed to present a witness, despite receiving a final adjournment.
Balondemu was previously charged with obtaining more than Shs2 billion from a US-based firm, KG Unlimited LLC, alongside co-accused Mr Joseph Ibona, an accountant at Bloom Advocates Limited, and lawyer Eric Geoffrey Mkwe.
While applying for bail, Balondemu submitted documents to Magistrate Nankya's court claiming he required surgery at Kampala Hospital, but these documents were found to be forged.
