The Inspector General of Government has said she has no interest in the parliament report on defunct banks because Parliament doesn’t like her as a person.
Justice Irene Mulyagonja who was reportedly pursuing legislators who were sitting on the parliament committee which was probing Bank of Uganda bosses for illegally closing commercial Bank, for corruption during the inquiry window, this time round distanced herself from Parliament, saying she doesn’t want to interfere with Parliament work.
Ms Mulyagonja also rubbished reports that State House was investigating her for possible corruption.
The IGG told the media at the Uganda Media Center on Thursday morning that only Uganda Police has instruments of powers to investigate her office.
Justice Irene Mulyagonja alluded to the fact that State House anti corruption unit has not legal back up to investigate her but Police since it was ‘constitutional, they can do whatever it takes to enforce laws according to the Constitution’.
Two months ago, the IGG welcomed planned investigations into her office by State House Anti-corruption Unit, headed by Lt Col Edith Nakalema, and promised the public that whoever will be implicated will be arrested and prosecuted.
However, on Thursday while addressing media on the forthcoming Ninth Commonwealth Regional Conference for heads of anti-corruption Agencies in Africa, Mulyagonja said if there is any need to investigate her office, only the Police and the Director of Public Prosecution have the authority to do so.
“Any government employee can be investigated but only by the police and the DPP,” she said at the Uganda Media Centre. However the same Mulyagonja was reported in February having asked Internal Security Organization (ISO) to investigate MPs sitting on the Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase). Now she also says, she has no interest in the Cosase report which implicated BoU officials including Governor Emmanuel Mutebile, his deputy Lious Kasekende, former supervisor of commercial banks Justine Bagyenda, among others.
“You very well know that my office has not been in good terms with Parliament and if they didn’t tag us in their report, we have nothing do with it,” she said.
The February Cosase report recommended among others compesacompe for bank owners who lost their money unfairly. It also sought to enforce serious reforms at the Bank of Uganda including in procedures before closing banks, the powers of the governor and other officials such as the director of commercial banks supervision.
The IGG has been accused of looking away as corruption tendencies eat away the public sector, which among others forced President Museveni to create a parallel structure to monitor and crack the whip at corrupt officers in government, now headed by Lt Col Nakalema.
Meanwhile, the Ninth Commonwealth Regional Conference for Heads of Anti-corruption Agencies will take place at Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa in Kigo from May 6-11.
According to Mulyagonja, over 100 participants from Anti-corruption Agencies in Commonwealth African countries will attend the conference.
“The theme is Time to Act: Prevent Corruption for Sustainable Development. This is part of the Commonwealth’s efforts to institutionalise the fight against corruption with the aim of achieving sustainable Development Goal,” she said.
The conference comes at a time when IGG has just introduced a number of measures to scale up the fight against corruption.
Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at editorial@watchdoguganda.com
