The Inspector General of Government (IGG) Irene Mulyagonja has asked the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) to investigate members of the COSASE committee of Parliament for soliciting bribes during the recent probe into the irregular sale of seven commercial banks.
The directive by the IGG is based on a complaint from an undisclosed person, that the former Chairperson of the committee Abdu Katuntu, his deputy Anita Among, Kasilo County MP Elijah Okupa, and Aruu North MP Odonga Otto regularly met former Crane Bank owner Sudhir Ruparelia during the course of the bank probe.
It is alleged that the said committee members received cash payments from Ruparelia which is suspected to be the real reason they refused yield leadership of COSASE when its term ended, according to the letter by the IGG.
The alleged whistle-blower also accuses Katuntu of receiving a bribe of 400 million Shillings from Central Bank Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, to allegedly enable the same committee to carry out a benchmarking exercise with other Central Banks. But, according to the letter, the money was not declared by Katuntu and not accounted for.
The whistle-blower alleges that the compromising position was one of the reasons why the Governor was allegedly allowed to pretend that he knew nothing about the closed banks and was never put on oath and was not clearly examined like other BOU officials.
The request for investigations was this afternoon confirmed by the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga after receiving a copy of the letter which is addressed to the Director General of ISO, Col Kaka Bagyenda. She said that the letter dated February 19, 2019, would be availed to the Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda.
Padyere County MP Joshua Anywarach had earlier demanded that Prime Minister pronounces himself on the letter which he said was deliberately meant to tone down the report on the irregular sale and closure of commercial banks.
Katuntu is also being investigated for his interests in the defunct Global Trust Bank.
“Hon Abdul Katuntu was one of the debtors of Global Trust Bank at the time when the bank was closed on 25th July 2012. He owed the bank approximately UGX 180,000,000, a matter he did not declare yet the debts were amongst the causes of the Bank’s collapse,” further reads IGG’s letter.
The IGG Mulyagonja concludes that her office decided that ISO is in a better position to investigate the allegations. She requested Col. Bagyenda to file a copy of a report of their findings and action taken on the conclusion of the investigation.
The affected banks that were closed between 1993 and 2016 include Teefe Trust Bank, International Credit Bank Ltd, Greenland Bank, Uganda Co-operative Bank, National Bank of Commerce, Global Trust Bank and Crane Bank Ltd.