Court Directs Former Uganda Airlines CEO Muleya to Prepare Defense For disobeying lawful summons

The Buganda Road Magistrates Court has directed the former Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Airlines Cornwell Muleya to prepare his defense on charges of disobeying lawful summons.

This is after Grade One Magistrate Asuman Muhumuza ruled that the Zambian National has a case to answer on charges levied against him.

Muleya landed in hot soup on April 21st, 2021, when the President directed the Works and Transport Minister Katumba Wamala to sack him and twelve other top officials at the airlines.

This directive was meant to pave way for investigations into allegations of financial mismanagement, collusion, and nepotism in staff recruitment among other issues.

Prosecution alleges that on May 23, 2022, the Inspectorate of Government-IG summoned Muleya to provide documents regarding the mismanagement of Public funds, procurements, and recruitment of staff at Uganda Airlines but he didn’t show up and provided no justification.

Muleya was consequently arrested by the IG on June 22nd, 2022 on charges of disobeying lawful summons to which he pleaded not guilty.

Three witnesses including the  Supervisor of Special Investigations at the IGG’s office Gideon Abudum told the Court that he was in April 2022 assigned a file to investigate the alleged corruption at Uganda Airlines but failed to get Muleya.

Abudum however retrieved some documents, analyzed them, summoned and interviewed some staff of the Airlines except for Muleya.

The witness added that they later received a letter from Muleya’s lawyers questioning the way in which their client had been summoned.

In his ruling, Muhumuza that the ingredients for the charge of disobedience of orders such as establishing if the order was served to the accused and whether he refused to comply with it have all been proven.

Muhumuza said that the testimonies contained serious allegations that required Muleya to defend himself.    Muleya told the court that he will be the only witness in the case.

Muhumuza declined to grant Muleya’s request for bail saying there will be an expeditious hearing of the case to enable him to know his fate soon.

He adjourned the case to October 7th, 2022 for Muleya to start defending himself.

In February 2022, the Works and Transport Ministry Permanent Secretary terminated Muleya’s contract forcing him to file a complaint with Wakiso District Labour Office on April 4th, 2022 citing unlawful termination of his contract.

However, the labor office referred the matter in which, Muleya is seeking more than Shillings 3 billion to the industrial court.