The CCTV Camera video footage of the embattled former executive director for bank supervision at Bank of Uganda (BoU) Justine Bagyenda has gone viral after she evaded security check at the bank’s premises as she ferried out materials in bags believed to be some documents related to the liquidation of commercial banks.
The footage retrieved from BoU premises shows Ms Bagyenda and his bodyguard Ms Juliet Adikot (bodyguard) and her driver Mr. Job Turyahabwe ferrying what is believed to be documents in and out of the bank premises into her car without being checked by the security at the bank.
MPs on Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) who are probing BoU senior staff over the controversial sale of seven commercial banks are furious that vital documents related to the sale of the banks are nowhere to be seen, pointing to the fact that officials who participated in the liquidation of the banks could have financially benefited from the transactions.
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Ms Bagyenda is suspected to have carried out the vital documents even though she insists she only carried her private documents. The MPs say BoU has officials have failed to present valuations reports as well as minutes of meetings related to the sale of banks.
“All the things I took out were personal and the day I was coming from the airport and the things I was carrying were reading material, gifts for staff. I have been working in the bank for 35years, the things I took out weren’t the ones I returned. I had gifts I got from South Africa,” she said.
Director of Security at BoU Milton Opio days ago told MPs that Bagyenda should tell where the missing documents are since she evaded security check at the premises in violation of the BoU’s security policy where workers are supposed to present themselves at the check point.
The footage also shows Bagyenda meeting MMAKS Lawyer Timothy K.Masembe who was the private lawyer of BoU, Crane Bank Limited, PwC and Dfcu. Dfcu Bank bought of Global Trust Bank Uganda and Crane Bank Limited in July 2017 and January 2017 respectively. MPS have argued that Masembe’s involvement in the closure of banks created a conflict of interest.
Masembe and Bank of Baroda Managing Director Ashrin Kumar met MS Bagyenda inside the central bank premises on a Sunday.
The incident, in which the BoU security directorate has admitted was a blatant breach of the central bank security guidelines came up on Thursday as MPs analysed the CCTV footage as it investigated how Ms Bagyenda stole loads of documents from the bank under the watch of the security personnel at BoU.