The Bank of Uganda (BoU)Executive Director Operations Dr. Charles Malinga Akol, has been released from the Anti-Corruption Court in Kololo on a cash bail of Shs40 million as intelligence officers continue to investigate BoU officers and others over the currency consignment scandal where a plane chartered by BoU delivered 25 pallets containing Ugandan currency but only 20 belonged to BoU.
It said Dr. Malinga was supposed to collect the consignment but didn’t go, instead he delegated his juniors to fly to German and bring the consignment that came with other items that did not belong to BoU.
Malinga before being aligned in Court was interrogated about his role in the whole scandal where it is said 5 pallets containing the Ugandan currency of about Shs90 billion disappeared upon reaching Entebbe International Airport.
Last Friday, two BoU officials were charged at Anti-Corruption court sitting at Kololo Kampala, on allegations of inclusion of unauthorised cargo on BoU chartered plane. Francis Kakeeto, a branch manager at Mbale and Fred Wanyama were charged with abuse of office and in alternative corruption which they have both denied before magistrate Herbert Asiimwe.
Prosecution alleged that on April 26, 2019 between France, Belgium and Entebbe airport, the duo while on assignment by their employer to carry out a pre-shipment inspection of printed materials in France, in abuse of the authority to offices did an arbitrary act prejudicial to the interest of their employer and allowed the inclusion of unauthorised case on a cargo plane fully chartered by BoU.
And in the alternative, it’s alleged that they failed to refute and report the inclusion of unauthorised cargo on a plane fully chartered by BoU.
Investigators are also trying to establish how such big sums of money could be printed without the knowledge of the top leaders of the bank including both the Governor and his deputy. However, Eagle Online has learnt that by the time of the incident, Governor Mutebile had sought for leave as he was seeking medical treatment abroad. It is said his deputy Dr. Louis Kasekende was in-charge. Governor Mutebile is said to be undergoing treatment at his Kololo home as for the last one month, he hasn’t stepped in office.
