Security operatives are closing in on City lawyer Andrew Kasirye after it emerged that he attempted to frustrate a police investigation into how Benedict Sekabira, Bank of Uganda’s Director for Financial Markets Development, acquired title deeds belonging to closed banks.
Eagle Online was informed that lawyer Kasirye, a Managing Partner at Kasirye, Byaruhanga and Co Advocates, is reaching out to prosecutors at the Directorate of Public Prosecutions(DPP), urging them to drop charges against Sekabira.
Police sources told this website that if Mr Kasirye’s persists in trying to frustrate justice, the only option left is to hold him responsible for frustrating justice.
“We are closely monitor him and others and it is a matter of time, let them know we are aware of every step they are undertaking” an investigator said.
When contacted for a comment, Counsel Andrew Kasirye, said it was completely news to him and false as he hasn’t been in contact with police this year.
“I have not been touch with police this year and I am not involved at all. I have never been a Bank of Uganda lawyer or Sekabira. Sometimes people mistake me for being Attorney General. It is completely false” He told Eagle Online
Mr Sekabira was on Monday summoned by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to explain how he acquired title deeds belonging to some of the banks that were irregularly closed between 1993 and 2015 by the Central Bank.
On July 27, 2020 the CID wrote to Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile asking him to release Sekabira from duty so that he report to the headquarters for inquiries and thereafter appear in court to take plea.
“This is to inform you that the Director Public Prosecution sanctioned the matter for the suspect to appear in Court and the purpose of this communication is to request you release Mr. Benedict Sekabira to report at CID headquarters on July 30, 2020, such that he can be produced in court for the charges of concealing titles deeds under sections 278 of the penal code,” reads the letter from CID.
Sekabira was among a coterie of Bank of Uganda officials that were explicitly named by Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) as having irregularly benefited from the closure of seven commercial banks.
The Cosase report named Mr Sekabira together with Mrs Justine Bagyenda, the former director for Commercial Bank’s supervision at BoU and Mrs Margaret Kasule, BoU’s Director Legal.
The letter from CID to the Governor added that: “The Directorate has been investigating the above matter that arose from the Committee of Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) with directive to the Inspector General of police t immediately upon adoption of Special Audit Report on defunct banks seize all the land titles in possession of JN Kirkland and Associates and MS SIL Investment arising from the loan portfolio sold to Ms Nile River Acquisition Company BY bank of Uganda.”
