The head of State House Anti-Corruption Unit, Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema is reportedly investigating outgoing Deputy Governor Bank of Uganda, Dr. Louis Kasekende, plus a host of other top officials and two city lawyers.
According to a source, the investigation concerns Shs478 billion. Auditor General, John Muwanga in his special audit report of the said amount discovered that only Shs200 could be explained how it was used while the balance of Shs279 was unaccounted for.
Eagle Online has also learnt that Col. Nakalema and her team are also interested why BoU allegedly paid over Shs20 billion as legal fees to two city lawyers. The lawyers are David Mpanga of A.F.Mpanga and Bowmans and Timothy Kanyerezi Masembe of MMAKS Advocates.
It is alleged that BoU recently released Shs4 billion as part of the balance on Shs20 billion to the lawyers. However, what is intriguing investigators is why paying that entire amount to the lawyers and yet some of the cases are jointly handled by BoU own lawyers.
Col. Nakalema is also reportedly investigating how old currency that is supposed to be destroyed is smuggled out by BoU officials who again return into circulation.
“We want to establish whether they deserve that money or it is was a conduit whose other aims aren’t known to the public. Nevertheless, our team will find out” said a security source.
The investigators are also accessing the wealth of the top directors to establish whether their assets resonate with their declaration at the Inspectorate of Government.
Last year as the IGG intensified her investigations of toe top gurus at the central banks, a leaked document indicated that Dr. Kasekende had transferred 12 plots of land into the names of his driver Moses Musitwa in an effort to dodge the scrutiny of the Inspector General of Government (IGG).
The IGG among other mechanisms used the Leadership Code Act 2002, to catch senior public officials who may have involved in corruption to grow wealth. The officials are required by the Act to declare their properties for purposes of accountability and transparency.
Other directors of interests at BoU are director legal affairs and director banking.
Meanwhile Eagle Online has learnt five other directors at the bank whose contracts expired or are about to expire will not have them renewed. A source at the bank said this was part of the recommendations from earlier investigation to the appointing authority to retire senior staff at BoU in public interest due to the rampant corruption, overstay but above all, the bad publicity such officials have attracted for the central bank. According among the directors affected are those of legal services, human resources and director Financial Markets Development Coordination (FMDC).
The source further revealed that in less than a month, the governor will also make a shakeup of his troops to replace those that have retired but also make changes as recommended in the earlier report. According to the BoU HR script, the governor is entitled to making changes up the director level while the positions of governor and his deputy are reserved for the president. The changes are also expected at the board level.
This is a second time in less than a year that State House Anti-Corruption Unit is cracking a whip at the central bank.
A whistleblower informed the unit about loss of huge monies getting lost at Entebbe International Airport upon arrival from German where the said cash had been printed. Uganda’s currency, the shilling is printed in German.
Sources then reveal that about two months ago, a team from Bank of Uganda was dispatched to travel to German aboard a chartered airplane to ferry the printed cash to Uganda and upon reaching German, the Uganda team that was led by a one Dr. Barenzi who is the deputy director in charge of operations. Dr. Barenzi represented Charles Malinga Akol, BoU’s Executive Director Operations who was on leave to ferry the money.
As the saga unfolded, Mr. Malinga with a host of other BoU employees were paraded at Anti-Corruption court and charged with negligent of duty, they were remanded but later granted bail.
This website last year reported that BoU officials at their Mbale currency had been arrested with huge sums of money in sacks and yet the money was supposed to be destroyed. Inside sources told Eagle Online then that the scheme of smuggling out old notes had gone on un-noticed at all the currency centres for a while as it involved big shots at the bank.
