Chief magistrate Ronald Kayizzi granted the bail after finding all three of Balondemu’s sureties including his wife, sister, and brother-in-law to be substantial. The court also ordered each surety to execute a non-cash bond of Shs 20 million.

As part of his bail conditions, Balondemu’s passport was retained by the court, and he has been prohibited from travelling outside Uganda without prior permission.

State prosecutor Viola Tusingwire had opposed the bail application, arguing that Balondemu had ignored seven court summonses, even after criminal summons were published in newspapers. However, magistrate Kayizzi ruled that newspaper notices do not guarantee effective service, agreeing with Balondemu’s defense that he may not have seen the summons.

The case has been adjourned until November 26, 2024, for a hearing. Additionally, the magistrate extended an arrest warrant for Balondemu’s co-accused, Dr Hassan Ssegujja of Mulago hospital, and instructed police to arrest him immediately upon sight.

Prosecutors accuse Balondemu, along with Dr Ssegujja and others still at large, of forging medical documents in 2023. Specifically, the charges allege that the duo falsified a prescription form dated November 7, 2023, and a CT scan form dated June 12, 2023, both purportedly from Kampala Hospital.

Balondemu was arrested on October 11, 2024, at Entebbe International Airport in connection with this case. His legal troubles began in 2023 when he was arraigned at Buganda Road Magistrate’s court on charges of conspiracy to defraud, involving the fraudulent acquisition of $553,000 (about Shs 2 billion) from KG Unlimited LLC.

The funds were obtained under false pretenses that Balondemu and his accomplices would secure a government contract for supplying agricultural drones and fertilizers to the ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, a contract that did not exist.

Previous fraud allegations

This recent arraignment follows another legal battle in which Balondemu was charged at City Hall Magistrate’s court for defrauding a Korean investor in a bogus gold deal worth Shs 2.2 billion. Those charges, however, were dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

In 2023, while applying for bail at Buganda Road court for the fraud charges, Balondemu submitted medical documents indicating that he was due for surgery at Kampala hospital, which he cited as grounds for seeking temporary release. The state, represented by Ivan Kyazze, conducted an investigation into the authenticity of these documents.

Evidence presented by Kampala hospital’s chief executive officer, Dr Peter Kibuuka, revealed that Balondemu had never been a patient at the facility, nor was he scheduled for the surgery he claimed.

“According to our records, Mr Balondemu has never been a patient at Kampala Hospital. There is no scheduled TURP surgery on November 22, 2022, for Balondemu, as indicated in the letter dated November 7, 2023. The documents dated June 2, 2023, and November 7, 2023, were not issued by Kampala Hospital,” wrote Dr Kibuuka in his response to the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID).

As a result of these findings, forgery charges were brought against Balondemu. Magistrate Winnie Nankya had previously warned him that if the medical documents were proven to be falsified, he would face additional charges. Following this, Balondemu was formally charged and remanded for forgery.

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Balondemu’s own legal team, comprising lawyers Kamba Hassan, Robert Bautu, Alaka, Mbidi, and Evans Ochieng, have now become witnesses on the current file. This development means that Balondemu cannot continue to be represented by his current lawyers and will need to seek new legal counsel for his defense moving forward.

The prosecution argued that his sureties were not substantial and that his release could potentially disrupt the ongoing investigation. As a result, Balondemu has been remanded until 24th October 2024, pending further bail applications.

Balondemu is batting a string of alleged forgery and fraud cases. Mr. Balondemu reportedly submitted counterfeit medical documents to the court in an attempt to secure bail, claiming to be awaiting medical procedures at Kampala Hospital. However, these papers were later discovered to be forged, as testified by the hospital’s director, Dr. Peter Kibuuka.

On October 17, 2023, Balondemu and several others were arrested in a coordinated operation involving the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, the Uganda Police, and other agencies. They were detained on charges related to obtaining money through deceitful means. Some of the cases had been dropped by court but were reinstated.

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