The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, has come out to clear his name, saying his ruling on the recent motion to investigate Bank of Uganda by parliament was not did not mean the central bank free.
“There was notice that a motion be moved to investigate BOU and I allowed it. But during debate, it was raised that the issue of BOU and Crane Bank was before court,” Oulanyah said as he clarified his ruling on the matter during the plenary sitting last week.
He said that parliament received a letter from lawyers stating that there were five cases filed in court on the same facts contained in the motion.
“My ruling on the motion was clear that parliament could not continue debating the issue because it would tantamount to subjudice,” said Oulanyah.
He said his ruling forced the Auditor General (AG) to seek guidance from the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga after BOU top managers refused to cooperate with the AG’s investigators. The BOU top executives had been advised by the Solicit General not to cooperate based on Oulanyah ruling then.
Backwards, on May 10, 2018 Kadaga in a letter, instructed the Auditor General to continue with the audit of BOU, saying her deputy’s ruling had nothing to do with the investigations into the central bank that has had its share of criticisms of recent for mismanagement of the sale defunct banks like Crane Bank, Teefe Bank, Greenland Bank, International Credit Bank, Cooperative Bank, Bank of Commerce and Global Trust Bank.
Oulanyah emphasised that the ruling he made stopping debate on the matter did not stop the AG from carrying out the audit on BOU yet. Deputy Governor Dr Louis Kasekende was using Oulanyah’s ruling to help the Bank invade an audit as demanded by parliament. Parliament was shocked that BOU had never produced any report concerning the liquidation and sale of the banks yet government some of the taxpayers’ money was used in the processes.
Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) had instructed the Auditor General to do a broad forensic audit into the operations of Bank of Uganda and demand accountability of Shs200b, which BO injected into the Crane Bank before it was sold off to rival dfcu Bank.
Following Kadaga’s instructions, the AG is conducting of BOU. In the letter Kadaga said any government institution established by law cannot invade investigation if need arises.
