Rwabwogo Aide Bagonza Remanded Over Money Laundering, Abuse of Office After Weeks In Basement

The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has charged and remanded to prison Mathew Bagonza, an aide to Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) chairman Odrek Rwabwogo, over alleged abuse of office and money laundering.

Bagonza appeared before Principal Grade One Magistrate Christopher Opit on Thursday, where the charges were read to him.

Prosecution led by Teopista Nnam and Viola Tusingwire from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) alleged that in January 2024, Bagonza, while serving as head of the PACEID secretariat under the Office of the President, abused his office by irregularly registering and incorporating Presidential Initiative on Export and Industrial Development as a private limited company.

Prosecution alleged that the company had objectives similar to those of his employer and that its registration was prejudicial to the interests of PACEID and the Government of Uganda.

The prosecution said the alleged conduct contravened Section 10(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act.

Bagonza is also accused of transferring Shs171.7 million from an account he had opened in the name of Presidential Initiative on Export and Industrial Development to his personal account.

Prosecution alleged that the transfers took place between September 1, 2023 and August 30, 2026 at Housing Finance Bank’s Kololo Branch and were intended to conceal and disguise the illicit origin of the funds, which Bagonza allegedly knew or had reason to believe were proceeds of crime.

The allegation is contrary to provisions of the Anti-Money Laundering Act cited by the prosecution.

Bagonza was not required to plead to the charges because the offences are capital in nature and are triable by the High Court.

The prosecution told court that investigations into the matter were still ongoing, prompting the magistrate to adjourn the case to October 5, 2026.

Bagonza was remanded to prison until then.

His court appearance comes weeks after security agencies reportedly arrested him from his home in Entebbe. The circumstances surrounding his detention had attracted public attention after Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba confirmed his arrest in August.

Rwabwogo, who has defended Bagonza and called for any allegations against him to be handled through the courts, has previously said he was unaware of the circumstances surrounding the arrest.

During Thursday’s court appearance, Bishop Patience Rwabwogo, the daughter of President Yoweri Museveni, and her husband Odrek Rwabwogo, alongside several of Bagonza’s relatives, filled the Nakasero-based court.