In a dramatic twist to the ongoing legal saga involving city lawyer David Balondemu, Buganda Road Magistrate Court has issued fresh criminal summons after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) sanctioned a forgery case against him and his legal team.
This development follows intensive investigations by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU) into allegations of document forgery he attempted to use to secure Balondemu’s bail from Luzira prison last year.
According to sources privy to the information, Balondemu will appear before Court next week on May 21, 2024.
As to whether he will appear on Court remains another subject of discussion considering that he is wanted by State House Anti-Corruption Unit.
Balondemu, a well-known notorious lawyer in Kampala, has been embroiled in multiple legal battles, with the latest accusations centering on fraudulent activities amounting to UGX 2.2 billion.
The charges allege that Balondemu, through his law firm, defrauded KG Unlimited LLC, an American company, under the guise of a procurement process for a water plant by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The funds were purportedly funneled through accounts associated with M/s Bloom Advocates, a firm believed to be operated by Balondemu through proxies.
The forgery allegations came to light during a bail application hearing on November 20, 2023, at the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Buganda Road. It was claimed that medical documents from Kampala Hospital, indicating that Balondemu had a scheduled surgery on November 22, 2023, were submitted to justify his need for bail.
However, these documents were later found to be falsified.
Robert Bautu, a prominent attorney leading Balondemu’s defense team, was identified as a central figure in the forgery scandal.
Bautu, along with other members of the legal team, was summoned to appear before investigators to explain their involvement in the submission of the fraudulent medical documents.
The summons were issued following a complaint from Senior State Attorney Kyazze Ivan, who reported the matter to the SH-ACU and CID.
“The Criminal Investigations Directorate in liaison with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit is conducting inquiries into allegations of forgery and uttering false medical documents at the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Buganda Road on 20th November 2023,” the CID’s letter to Bautu stated.
“This is to summon you to appear before the undersigned at SH-ACU located at the 4th Floor, President’s Office, Parliament Building on Monday, 27th November 2023, at 12:00 pm, to assist in our investigations.”
In response, Bautu and his team filed a complaint with the DPP, questioning the grounds for the charges and the investigative procedures. “On the 24th of November 2023, Senior State Attorney Buganda Road, Mr. Kyazze Ivan went ahead and complained against the Counsels for the accused at the State House Anti-Corruption Unit,” the complaint reads.
It further questioned who might have forged the documents, considering Balondemu was incarcerated at the time.
Despite the defense’s efforts to challenge the accusations, the court found the medical documents submitted in support of Balondemu’s bail application to be faulty on November 23, 2023.
The investigation concluded, leading the DPP to sanction the file, paving the way for criminal charges against Balondemu.
This scandal sent shockwaves through legal circles, tarnishing the reputation lawyers representing Balondemu and raising serious questions about the ethical standards and professional conduct of those involved.
As the lead counsel for Balondemu, Bautu held significant responsibility in maintaining the integrity of the defense, but the emergence of evidence pointing to his involvement in forgery has severely damaged his standing.
The SH-ACU earlier revealed that Balondemu now faces eight fresh counts ranging from fraud to forgery and all files would soon be forwarded to the Director of Publication Prosecution for further management.
Reliable sources within the unit, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the investigation into the falsification of medical documents has been completed, with the case file forwarded to the DPP for further management.
As this case unfolds, it follows two other ongoing cases in which Balondemu is accused of defrauding Korean and American investors.
