The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, has stressed the need for accountability in the misappropriation of Shs164 billion allocated for cooperatives, particularly involving Opposition MPs.
Mpuuga emphasized that individuals implicated in corruption should face legal consequences, framing corruption as a personal act rather than an institutional one.
During a press briefing updating the public on the Opposition’s performance, on Wednesday afternoon, Mpuuga took a firm stance against sympathizing with Opposition MPs involved in the embezzlement scandal.
He declared that those mentioned in the report should face the law, emphasizing that corruption is a personal act for personal gains, not for the benefit of the community.
The Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) is conducting an investigation into the scandal, implicating 30 Members of Parliament and cabinet ministers, including five vocal Opposition lawmakers.
Recently, the State Minister of Trade, Harriet Ntabaazi, disclosed that the CID is scrutinizing files involving more than 30 MPs, including five active Opposition MPs.
Ntabaazi assured that the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives will continue its mandate despite the ongoing probe. She pointed out that the investigation involves more than just the Ministry, referencing a similar situation in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) when some Ministers were suspected of misusing funds.
In Parliament’s Trade and Tourism Committee report, payments exceeding allocated amounts were discovered, with compensations made on unverified claims and a lack of appreciation for the rationale behind compensating cooperatives for war losses.
Parliament last month adopted without debate, the report by the Trade and Tourism Committee on the probe into how funds for Cooperatives was spent. The Committee discovered that payments amounting to UGX 48.77bn were made in excess and outside the allocated amounts to various cooperatives.
However, concerns were raised by MPs, such as Tom Bright Amooti MP for Kyaka Central and James Olobo, regarding the Ministry’s decision to disburse additional funds to Cooperative Unions for war loss claims.
Amooti expressed concern about the formation of new cooperatives overnight before fund disbursement, while Olobo vowed not to support fund approval until the issues with cooperatives were resolved.
Amooti, expressed concern over another move by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives to disburse more UGX 36.318bn to 18 Cooperative Unions for war loss claims in the last financial year, yet they had recommended a halt of payments.
The relationship between the Trade Committee and Permanent Secretary Geraldine Ssali has also been contentious. The Committee recommended Ssali’s removal over allegations of inflating renovation costs.
The Committee found that Ssali is personally liable for the dubious and mysterious inflation of the estimated contract price from UGX 4.664Bn to UGX 6.2Bn without any formal or legal justification.
Despite the recommendation and her temporary removal, a Presidential directive later reinstated Ssali, leading Minister Ntabazi to request the Committee not to punish the entire Ministry for an individual’s mistakes. She emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to improvement and requested advice from the Committee.