Buganda Road magistrates court in Kampala has acquitted former Uganda Airlines CEO Cornwell Muleya of the charges related to disobedience of lawful orders of the IGG.
Muleya was in June arrested by the Inspectorate of Government and charges related to disobedience slapped against him.
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According to prosecution, Muleya failed to respond to May, 23, 2022 summons by the IGG to furnish the ombudsman with information regarding the mismanagement of the national carrier during the period when he was the CEO.
Whereas he denied the charges, prosecution indicated that while other Uganda Airlines staff recorded statements, Muleya refused to heed to requests to explain more about the rot but also failed to give reason for not responding to the request, prompting the IGG to arrest him
Muleya was recently put to his defence in which he indicated that he never disobeyed any orders as alleged, noting that he saw an email from an unknown person in his junk email folder asking him to carry his passport which he said was strange and suspicious.
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He insisted that despite having a well-known home, no person ever bothered to bring the said summons.
On Monday, grade one magistrate, Asuman Muhumuza reasoned with Muleya that on failure to show up after being summoned by the IGG.
"Having examined the evidence on record as a whole and subjected it to a thorough and exhaustive scrutiny I find that Muleya's failure to appear before IGG was excusable," the magistrate ruled.
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In his defence, the former Uganda Airlines CEO said when he received the summons asking him to appear on June,1 , he spoke to his lawyer who wrote to the IGG requiring more explanations about the summons that also required him to appear with his passport.
Muleya explained that the June, 1 deadline approached when he had not yet got a response from the IGG and consequently he could not appear without hearing from the ombudsman.
According to Muleya, he had earlier scheduled to travel to South Africa and Dubai and that when he returned, he could not appear before the IGG as he had promised because he was hospitalized with high blood pressure and therefore the said date elapsed without his appearance.
The trial magistrate reasoned with Muleya on this argument, indicating that evidence of the medical report indicates he was hospitalized and could not ably report to the IGG as had been asked.
"The explanations offered by the accused person which included travel abroad and sickens were all backed up by documentation. It is therefore of surprise to me that IGG didn't find the explanation compelling from the accused."
The magistrate blasted the IGG for rushing to prefer criminal charges against the former Uganda Airline CEO over a minor issue of not communicating to the ombudsman after healing from the sickness
"Failure to communicate is not doesn't constitute a criminal offence or warrant criminal prosecution. The accused's failure to appear as summoned was not total defiance but based on a reasonable excuse. The accused is therefore not is found guilty. He is acquitted of charges preferred against him by Inspectorate of Government."
Former Uganda Airlines CEO, Cornwell Muleya arrested
