The High Court has ordered the Auditor General to carry out an audit on Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL).
The directive has been passed by Justice Musa Sekaana on Friday August 9, 2019.
The Judge said the audit should take place within a period of 30 days from the date of order.
“The audit report should be presented/given to all the creditors of the company,” noted Justice Sekaana.
After the order, State Minister of Finance for Investment and Privatization Evelyn Anite praised Justice Sekaana for a ruling that affirmed her audit demand.
“I thank Justice Musa Sekaana for a ruling affirming my demand for Auditing UTL and Presidential directive on the same. There is authority in this Country and no amount of maneuvers can defeat the right and cause for people of Uganda,” Anite said in a tweet.
Last month, President Yoweri Museveni directed Anite to institute an audit in the activities that are going in UTL.
“I have heard of some allegations. The audit should clear them or confirm them,” Museveni told Anite in a letter dated July 16, 2019.
Prior, the President had directed the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Kahinda Otafiire and Attorney General to stick to cabinet decision on the matter of embattled UTL.
In a letter dated July 3 2019, in which the Prime Minister, The Minister for Finance and the Attorney General were copied, President Museveni reminded Otafiire that prior to his writing, he had a telephone conversation with him and therefore should stick to it.
The president advised that instead of divesting off UTL, he was of the view that government should instead look around for an investor to revamp it.
“As I have guided on several occasions, given the strategic importance of UTL to the economy, Government has been in the process of identifying a suitable investor/s to partner with to revamp UTL as opposed to divesting”, part of Museveni’s letter read adding that the decision to revamp the company was also taken by government.
Museveni said no actions contrary to cabinet positions should be taken and added that cabinet must always be consulted on any investment or related decisions concerning UTL before they are taken.
The president’s decision upheld Clause 4 of the Administration Deed that stipulates that the duties of the administrator are to collect outstanding sums of monies from government return the company to profitability and look for an investor to recapitalize the business thus giving UTL Administrator Bemanya Twebaze a sigh of relief.
Anite wanted Twebaze kicked out of office over alleged gross misconduct and corruption saying he is adamant to make public books of accounts.
She wrote to the Attorney General, terminating the services of Twebaze Bemanya and directed that a court order be sought to secure an order for change of the administrator but the AG advised otherwise.
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