ormer Parliament Director of Communications and Public Affairs Chris Obore has been granted cash bail of Shs30 million by the High Court, with the court ordering him to deposit his passport and a land title for his property in Kiwanga, Mukono, as security.
Justice Michael Elubu of the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court also ordered Obore’s sureties to execute non-cash bonds of Shs300 million each.
The court further granted bail to Obore’s co-accused, who are facing charges arising from alleged financial impropriety at Parliament.
Methods Mureebe, Rajab Kaaya and Emmanuel Okwi were each granted cash bail of Shs20 million, while Daniel Adilo and Leonard Okema were each granted Shs35 million. Vincent Otebata was granted cash bail of Shs30 million.
All the accused are required to provide sureties bonded at Shs300 million each and report to the court registrar on the first Monday of every month.
Justice Elubu cautioned the accused against breaching the conditions imposed by court, warning that property deposited as security could be forfeited if the conditions are violated.
The bail ruling follows weeks of proceedings in which the defence lawyers presented arguments and documents in support of their clients’ applications, while the Inspectorate of Government opposed their release.
The court had earlier consolidated the bail applications after Justice Elubu observed that they were largely based on similar grounds.
“I am going to give you a schedule,” Justice Elubu said during the earlier proceedings as he directed the parties to file written submissions to avoid spending unnecessary time hearing similar applications separately.
The seven officials are facing charges of embezzlement, causing financial loss to the Government and money laundering following investigations into the alleged misuse of funds at Parliament.
According to the prosecution, the alleged financial losses amount to more than Shs27 billion.
Obore is accused of embezzling Shs5.25 billion, while Adilo is accused of involvement in the alleged embezzlement of Shs14.6 billion. Okema is accused of Shs3.48 billion, Kaaya Shs2.17 billion, Okwi Shs1.1 billion and Otebata Shs5.25 billion.
Stella Itute, an Office Supervisor in the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms, was also jointly charged with the officials but remains at large.
The prosecution alleges that the accused accessed the funds by virtue of the positions they held at Parliament and used them in ways that caused financial loss to the Government.
The charges followed investigations by the Inspectorate of Government into Parliament’s handling of funds, including money allocated for donations and corporate social responsibility activities.
The accused have denied the allegations and remain presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The case was initially handled before the Anti-Corruption Court, but the accused were later required to seek bail before the High Court after money laundering charges were included in the case.
The officials were subsequently remanded to Luzira Prison as investigations and court proceedings continued.
Their arrest and prosecution also led to their interdiction from Parliament following a directive by Inspector General of Government Lady Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala.
The interdicted officials included Obore, Adilo, Kaaya, Okwi, Otebata, Okema and Mureebe.
The Inspectorate had opposed bail, arguing that investigations were still ongoing and that some of the potential witnesses were Parliament employees, raising concerns about possible interference.
The defence, however, argued that the accused had fixed places of residence, substantial sureties and were willing to comply with all conditions imposed by court.
Justice Elubu ultimately granted them temporary freedom subject to the strict conditions.
The court’s decision means Obore and the other accused will now continue preparing their defence while the corruption case proceeds. The bail does not amount to an acquittal, and the prosecution will still be required to prove the charges against each accused beyond reasonable doubt.
