Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has revealed that President Yoweri Museveni directed the handover of the forensic audit report on the Shs60 billion Bank of Uganda (BoU) money heist to the Police’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) due to incriminating findings by the Auditor General.
“The Auditor General has done a very good job. They conducted a forensic investigation and provided a report. After consultations with the President, and considering the criminal elements unearthed, it was decided that the report be handed over to the CID for further management. The CID will update us on the actions taken,” Speaker Among stated.
The report details a scandalous transaction at the Bank of Uganda that has raised serious concerns about corruption and mismanagement. Among commended the Auditor General for a thorough investigation, noting that the findings point to criminality that necessitates police intervention.
However, a section of Members of Parliament (MPs), including Geoffrey Ekanya (Tororo North) and Wilfred Niwagaba (Ndorwa East), have criticized the decision to bypass parliamentary committees in managing the report. They argued that the report should have been scrutinized by relevant parliamentary committees before being handed over to the CID.
Ekanya pointed out that the Speaker chairs the Classified Committee, which has the mandate to handle matters of a criminal and security nature. He argued that the report should have gone through this committee first.
“The Rules mandate you, as Chairperson of the Classified Committee, to handle such matters. I am not privileged to the report, but I would have thought it should first be scrutinized by the committee before being referred for management,” Ekanya stated.
Niwagaba echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing that the Auditor General’s report should ordinarily be reviewed by parliamentary committees, whose findings are debated by the House before any further action.
“This report should have been tabled before a relevant committee, debated by this House, and only then forwarded to investigating authorities,” Niwagaba argued.
The controversy sparked debate on the role of Parliament in managing sensitive audit findings, especially those involving allegations of criminality. While the Speaker defended the decision as necessary for swift action, critics insist on adherence to parliamentary procedures to ensure transparency and accountability.
Last year November, The Bank of Uganda was plunged into a fresh scandal after hackers made off with UGX 60 billion (approximately $16 million) from the bank’s systems.
The alleged hacking incident is believed to have occurred recently, has raised serious questions about the security measures in place at the central bank. An incident forced President Museveni to instruct the Auditor General to investigate the matter and according to Speaker Among, the report is ready but it will not be reviewed by the Parliament as per the rules but it will be just sent to the CID.
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