By our reporter
Embattled former Bank of Uganda Director In charge of Supervision Ms Justine Bagyenda is back in the news.
Ms Bagyenda recently failed to appear before parliamentary Appointments Committee over her new job appointment to the financial intelligence authority. Now reports filtering through cast doubts if indeed Ms Bagyenda told parliament the truth about her absence from the vetting procedure.
Ms Bagyenda was re-appointed by Finance Minister Matia Kasaija as a board member to the Finance Intelligence Authority (FIA), the same body investigating her for alleged money laundering.
She was supposed to meet the parliament vetting committee chaired by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga but she didn’t show up. It was later revealed that she had travelled out of the country and thus could not be present for the hearings.
However, on Friday morning, news reports flooded social media showing leaked phone records showing Ms Bagyenda’s phone was active at her house on Ismael Road, in Mbuya, a Kampala suburb. The line later moved to Kampala city centre around Standard Chartered bank, where the phone was in regular use. It is not clear if the former head of commercial bank supervision was indeed the person using the line at the time parliament expected her for vetting.
It is also not clear why Bagyenda would hide from her own vetting; an exercise where she would have had a chance to explain a number of things relating to her work at Bank of Uganda and re-appointment to FIA.
It should be remembered that in July MPs led by Manjiya County’s John Nambeshe and Kasambya County’s Louis Mbwatekamwa Gaffa revealed that they couldn’t allow Bagyenda’s reappointment come to pass.
“We are against Mrs. Bagyend’s reappointment to this position on grounds that she was sent into early retirement by Bank of Uganda Governor Tumusiime Mutebile recently and she used her position to amass wealth as her leaked bank accounts indicate she has close to shs20 billion,” said Nambeshe.
“In section 25(4) of the Anti-money laundering Act , you cannot reappoint a person who is seen to have moral turpitude like Mrs. Bagyenda having amassed wealth primitively,” he added.
Mbwantekamwa questioned how Bagyenda, a supervisor of commercial banks, became a billionaire in such as short a time.
“We are here to appeal to members of the appointments committee that we are not going to accept this; Ugandans are watching and the population is becoming poorer, every other day,” said Mbwatekamwa.
Meanwhile, some Ugandans on social media think Members of Parliament can do nothing to Bagyenda.
Bashir Van Kroos says “Ayi no trouble will happen to this lady oyo mwana wa ku kaalo”
Bulsams Sam “MPs want a share of her money, there is nothing they will do, MPs of the 10th parliament.
Teleloi Elly says “This woman has already made alot of money and accumulated big assets. Wat does she still want in public service?”
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