By our reporter
Early this week news regarding the re-appointment of former Bank of Uganda Director in charge of Supervision Justine Bagyenda to Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) Board came under public knowledge.
A letter of renewal of Bagyenda’s contract was written by the Finance Minister Matia Kasaija and it was addressed to the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga on May 7, 2018 before the expiry of the old board on 30 June.
Bagyenda’s controversial re-appointed sparked anger among MPs who wondered how a person under probe by FIA over money laundering be re-appointed on the same authority’s board.
The legislators said the appointments committee should put on hold approving Bagyenda until investigations against her by the IGG and FIA are concluded.
However, in defence, minister Kasaija revealed that he was unaware about Bagyenda’s investigations by the time he made the re-appointment.
“When I re-appointed her, the issues of money laundering and others were not yet in the press. There’s no way I could have re-appointed her with question marks surrounding her integrity,” Kasaija told Daily Monitor.
But when it was put to him that by 7 May, it was public knowledge that Bagyenda was under probe, Kasaija who looked confused asked for another day to crosscheck for facts.
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