The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Director Forensics at Auditor General’s Office James Bantu has commissioned an audit in regards to the Bank of Uganda extra cargo that was loaded on a chartered plane in April this year.
It is alleged that around March 1st and April 27th, 2019 between Uganda, Belgium and France and Entebbe International Airport, BoU officials allowed the inclusion of unauthorized cargo on a plane chartered by the Central bank.
The officials had contracted the UK based plane through a global transport and logistics company Kuehne + Nagel International to deliver printed material for BoU which had been printed from France. The chartered Plane however ended up in Liege Airport, Belgium before landing at Entebbe International Airport on April 27th.
This however caused suspicion on how a chartered plane would go to Belgium where the Central Bank had no business.
Upon landing at the Entebbe, it is alleged that on the plane there was printed material belonging to private individuals, hence the suspicion.
Now in his letter to the Governor Bank of Uganda, James Bantu the Director of Forensics at Auditor General’s Office says an audit will be conducted in regards to printed material transported on April 27th, 2019 following the July, 18th 2019 letter from the Criminal Investigations Department Director.
“The purpose of this letter therefore is to inform you that pursuant to Article 163 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda as amended and sections 13 and 22 of the National Audit Act, 2008, the Auditor General has commissioned an audit in regards to the above subject matter,” reads part of the letter.
Bantu adds that the said assignment will be undertaken by his staff Martin Wamboza, the Principal Auditor and Jasper Oketa the Auditor.
According to documents seen by URN, the team will be supervised by Dr Andrew T Nsamba, Senior Principal Auditor and Anthony Kimuli, the Assistant Director of Audit.
“In the event that circumstances warrant a change in the team composition, this will be communicated to you accordingly,” the document adds.
The Auditor General is now requesting the central Bank to have an inception meeting with the team on August 6th, 2019.
On May 3rd, 2019, the Governor BoU Emmanuel Mutebile wrote to the head of State House Anti-Corruption Unit Lt Col Edith Nakalema asking her to conduct a probe into 13 boxes of unauthorized printed material that had been carried on a chartered plane.
In the event, three officials of BoU were arrested and have since been charged in the Anti-Corruption Court as investigations continue.
They are; Currency Director, Charles Malinga Akol, Francis Kakeeto, the Assistant Director Mbale Currency Centre and Fred Wanyama Vito, the BoU Verification Officer.
On Friday, the trio appeared in court presided by Grade one Magistrate Abert Asiimwe and demanded that their phones which were confiscated upon their arrest should be returned to them. The group which will return to court on August 28th, 2019 has since been interdicted.
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