State House has confirmed top Bank of Uganda officials, as well as personnel attached to Uganda Revenue Authority and Civil Aviation Authority are under investigations for serious economic violations.
A statement from Lt Col Edith Nakalema, the head of State House Anti-Corruption Unit on Friday afternoon states that “a number of senior bank personnel, customs and Civil Authority personnel are being questioned” with regard to “the Bank’s procurement and supply chain activities”.
The statement follows a mega corruption scandal has burst at the scandal ridden Bank of Uganda, which is likely going to cause heads to roll.
Collaborated reports indicate that five directors at Bank of Uganda are under investigation by police, military and State House Anti-Corruption Unit for illegally printing and smuggling money in the excess of sh90 billions.
Col Nakalema however says the operation is being done with the blessing of the governor of the Bank of Uganda and it will not affect the normal running of the Central Bank.
The illicit huge monies Nakalema’s team alongside Police are probing, entered the country through Entebbe International Airport from Germany aboard a private airplane which usually transports BoU new currency .
The president summoned his trusted anti corruption czars who burst the cartel, leading to arrest and questioning of official. Col Nakalema now confirms the questioning has been spread to URA and CAA.
However, we understand that in April, a team from Bank of Uganda was dispatched to Germany aboard a chartered airplane to ferry the printed cash to Uganda. The team was led by a one Dr. Barenzi who is the deputy director in charge of operations because his boss Charles Malinga Akol, BoU’s Executive Director Operations was on leave.
The website added that while in German, Dr. Barenzi and another officer allegedly printed Shs90 billion in excess and purchased goods which were as well loaded into the chartered plane and entered into Uganda without clearance. It is not clear who took out of the airport the uncleared consignment.
To it’s credit, upon receiving the complaint from URA, BoU is said to have initiated its internal investigations on how the flight from Germany to Entebbe went down and who was aboard, the exact amount cleared by the printing firm and other items. As the investigation continued, it was revealed that extra cash had been printed and was put on to the plane after the billing of lading had been cleared by the agents and the plane authority.
However, according to interrogators, the airplane authority came out first and apologised acknowledging that they had been duped by the two officials to load extra cash and items despite the clearance from the German authorities.
However, it is at this time that Director Malinga who had been on leave got involved because his name had been dragged in, accordingly, Mr. Malinga is said to have informed the Governor Emmanuel Mutebile about the incident and thereafter, the two agreed to brief the President and State House Anti-Corruption Unit.
Upon briefing the President, it is said he was furious about the incident and immediately directed that Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema and head of Criminal Investigation Department, Assistant Inspector of Police Grace Akullo investigate deeper to find out where the said balance of the Shs90 billion is and also established the motive by the culprits.
The nonsense Col. Nakalema and Akullo resolved that the combined team of police, Special Forces investigators storm BoU and arrest the suspects and indeed on Wednesday June 12, the team stormed BoU and picked five directors.
The five directors have since Wednesday been quizzed by the combined team of investigators from both police and military.
This is a developing story. More coming
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