Matthew Bagonza, Head of Secretariat at the Presidential Advisory Committee on Export and Industrial Development (PACEID), has been granted bail in a case in which he faces charges of money laundering and abuse of office.
The court set his cash bail at Shs20 million, while each of his sureties was required to execute a non-cash bond of Shs30 million.
As part of the release conditions, Bagonza must surrender his passport to the court and seek permission before travelling outside Uganda. He was also ordered to deposit his land title and that of his sister as additional security.
He is further required to report to the court registrar on every date his case comes up for mention before the magistrate’s court.
The prosecution alleges that Bagonza irregularly registered and incorporated a private company, Presidential Initiative on Export and Industrial Development, while serving as Head of Secretariat under the Office of the President.
According to the prosecution, the private company’s objectives were similar to those of PACEID, an arrangement allegedly prejudicial to government interests.
Bagonza is also accused of transferring approximately Shs171.7 million from a PACEID-linked account at Housing Finance Bank’s Kololo branch to his personal account at the same bank between September 2023 and August 2026.
The prosecution alleges that the transactions were intended to conceal the illicit origin of the funds.
Bagonza was arraigned on September 17, 2026, but did not take a plea at that stage amid a challenge to the court’s jurisdiction. He was subsequently remanded to Luzira Prison.
His bail application was later considered by the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court, which granted his release subject to the conditions imposed.
The case has attracted attention because of Bagonza’s position within PACEID and his association with the committee’s chairman, Odrek Rwabwogo.
The charges are yet to be determined by the courts. Bagonza remains presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court.
