Some of the Ugandan Asians have accused members of the Departed Asian Properties Custodian Board (DAPCB) of forging documents showing that most Asians were compensated.
They say only 19 have been compensated.
In 1983 DAPCB was put in charge of between 9,000 to 10,000 properties of Asians who were evicted from Uganda during President Idi Amin’s reign.
In July, Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) chairperson, Mubarak Munyagwa formed a subcommittee to investigate the alleged fraudulent acquisition of departed Asians’ property.
However, since the investigation commenced a lot of anomalies have been revealed with some Indians blaming DAPCB for conniving with some Ugandans to take their property while other reports have shown that some senior government officials had also taken some properties fraudulently.
On Wednesday when the inquiries resumed, Asians under the Expropriated Asians Properties Owners Association Limited led by their chairman Mohammad Alban accused DAPCB board members of being corrupt having presented to them fake compensation document.
When questioned whether he was aware that government, UNHCR and British High Commission had compensated some properties, Alban said only 19 people had been compensated.
“We only have 19 people with compensation documents. The rest of the money has never reached our accounts and we don’t know anything concerning it. We also have a document in the report showing that only 19 elderly Indians have been compensated,” Alban answered.
MPs went on and asked him to tell the committee who compensated the 19 since documents from Bank of Uganda signed by all board members of DAPCB show that more than 19 Indians were compensated.
But Alban was frank, saying only 19 were compensated by government of Uganda alone.
The MPs then requested Alban to present the list of compensated Indians.
“If there is any document showing more 19 people that is a fake document, if it’s true we have never seen the money,” Alban confirmed to the committee in response to a query from Katikamu County North MP Abraham James Byandala.
The committee vice chairperson Ibrahim Kasozi MP Makindye West wondered why Alban was saying 19 yet Bank of Uganda papers show more than that.
“From all the correspondence I have seen they have a view that it’s only 19 people who were compensated but according to the bank of Uganda the information we have before us they are more than 19 people,” he said.
“Now the assignment of finding the exact number of people who were compensated is for us after the inquiries.”
Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at editorial@watchdoguganda.com
