Government has refuted claims that any money is missing at Bank of Uganda but confirmed an investigation is going on to establish how illegitimate cargo, found itself on a chattered plane carrying new BoU banknotes on April 27th.
On June 14th, nearly 24 hours after it was first reported by online media houses, government spokesperson and Executive Director of the Uganda Media Centre, Ofwono Opondo P’Odel told a hastily organised press conference that while there was no money missing.
“No arrests have been made, it’s just investigations of about six to eight Bank of Uganda officials in procurement, currency and legal for failing to do due diligence. Others are customs officials from the airport,” the Uganda Media Centre official twitter channel posted.
He however did not explain why it took nearly 50 days, for government to come out openly about the scandal.
Ofwono Opondo said that following the discovery on arrival in Uganda, that the cargo plane, belonging to a yet unnamed carrier, was carrying 5 more cargo palettes, BoU officials reported to the Governor, who then called in the Statehouse anti-graft Unit to investigate.
“”Governor of Bank of Uganda Prof Tumusiime Mutebile then wrote a letter to the Anti-Corruption Unit at Statehouse to conduct a special expeditious investigation,” Ofwono said.
Earlier statements by both the Statehouse anti-corruption Unit and Bank of Uganda had confirmed an investigation was going on, but declined to specify the nature of the crime and the extent.
Both a letter to the Anti-Corruption Unit at Statehouse to conduct a special expeditious investigation,” Ofwono said.
Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema’s State House Anti-Corruption Unit called it a “special investigation on a matter pertaining to the Bank’s procurement and supply chain activities” while a statement by Bank of Uganda Governor, called it “an anomaly in the inventory of the expected consignment.”
Mutebile in his statement said that following the anomaly, he “requested the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of State House to investigate the matter.”
“The ACU has started investigations and Bank of Uganda is fully co-operating with the process,” Mutebile added.
Ofwono Opondo said that preliminary investigations showed that the extra 5 palettes belonged to 13 different entities that among others included the United Nations, USAID and city businessman Charles Mbiire.
Cash heist?
When the story first leaked to the media, unconfirmed reports on several online media platforms said, Lt.Col Edith Nakalema’s unit raided the central bank this week and arrested five officials in the currency department over what is said to be unauthorised printing of vast sums of currency- said to be in excess of UGX90 billion, for private benefit.
It was also alleged that the money entered into the country via Entebbe International Airport, but never made it to the central bank’s strong rooms.
BoU’s Director of Communications, a one, Charity Mugumya was unreachable.
This reporter spoke to BoU Tumubweine Twinemanzi, the Executive Director, Bank Supervision and Mrs. Susan Wasagali Kanyemibwa, the Bank Secretary (Executive Director), who both declined to talk about the matter and referred this reporter back to the central bank’s spokesperson.
An answered questions remain
Even though government has refuted claims that any money is missing, it is unclear why it took more than a month to come out about the scandal.
It also remains to be understood why BoU senior officials initially denied knowledge of the scandal.
We will over the coming days unveil more details about the scandal.