By Ronald Nahabwe
Kampala: Alllan Ssewanyana, the Member of Parliament for Makindye West, spent most of his entire Friday at Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) Kibuli being grilled by detectives over cases of theft, bribery and corruption which were reported against him by suspended FUFA President Moses Magogo.
Ssewanyana presented himself to police alongside his lawyer Allan Mulindwa, after he was summoned by the Deputy Director C.I.D Joseph Obwona to appear in person or else he would be arrested.
Magogo dragged Ssewanyana to police after the legislator reported him to FIFA on the grounds that he was involved in illicit dealings in which he sold the 2014 World Cup tickets which were meant for Ugandans.
During the interrogation, Ssewanyana’s lawyer Mulindwa told detectives that all the issues his client had raised had been proven right by FIFA.
His interrogation came shortly after FIFA suspended Magogo for two months and slapped him with a fine of Swiss Francs 10,000 equivalent to Shs37m, for his shaming actions.
Ssewanyana’s prayer then to the FIFA Ethics and Integrity Committee was to have Magogo suspended as FUFA president as investigations went on, just like was the case with former FIFA president Sepp Blatter in 2015.
But Magogo, who had been at the CAF Congress in Manama Bahrain, where he was appointed a member of the CAF Executive Committee 2017 – 2021 and a member of the CAF Reforms Committee, went off with a lighter punishment.
In his petition to FIFA, Ssewanyana asserted that the receipt of USD5,000 by Magogo as part profit from US based businessman Howard Schwartz after selling him World Cup tickets was tantamount to acceptance of gifts and other benefits for personal gain, contrary to Article 21 (2) of the FIFA Code of Ethics.
For every FIFA World Cup tournament, a particular number of tickets are allocated to each Federation prior to the championship, such that citizens can get an opportunity to watch World Cup; but in 2014, Magogo decided to sell the tickets.
We have learnt that later after the heavy interrogation Ssewanyana was released on police bond as the investigations continue, although the detectives didn’t clearly state the charges against him.
