Eight Ugandan finance ministry officials face charges of corruption, money laundering, and electronic fraud after a central bank hacking incident led to a $21 million loss.

Eight officials from Uganda's Ministry of Finance have been formally charged with corruption, electronic fraud, and money laundering following a hacking incident that compromised the central bank's systems and resulted in the loss of at least $21 million, according to court documents.

The hacking took place late last year and involved the redirection of payments from their intended recipients to unauthorized beneficiaries. The charges were presented in a magistrate's court in Kampala late Thursday.

In November, State Minister for Finance Henry Musasizi confirmed reports in local media that the central bank's accounts had been hacked and funds had been stolen.

Some of the misappropriated funds were originally intended for the International Development Association (IDA), a branch of the World Bank, as principal and interest repayments for loans given to Uganda. Instead, they were diverted to two companies based in Japan and Poland, as reported by Reuters, citing the charge sheet. Additionally, some of the funds were illegally transferred from the central bank to a company in London.

The accused officials, including the ministry’s top accountant, face charges of corruption, financial loss, electronic fraud, money laundering, and abuse of office for their involvement in the theft, according to the charge sheet.

One of the accused, an information technology officer, allegedly altered payment instructions, diverting funds meant for IDA to a company in Tokyo, Japan. The charge sheet further states that the top accountant failed to implement effective security measures to protect public funds, which contributed to the financial loss.

The officials have not yet entered a plea, as their case falls under the jurisdiction of the high court. They have been remanded to prison until February 18, when they are scheduled to reappear for a case mention.

A lawyer for one of the suspects, Max Mutabingwa, attempted to apply for bail on their behalf, but the request was denied.