Internal affairs PS denies getting Global Fund money
Jul 12, 2009
INVESTIGATIONS into the disappearance of sh960m meant to probe the alleged embezzlement of the Global Fund money has showed that the money was remitted to the internal affairs ministry account.
By Mary Karugaba
INVESTIGATIONS into the disappearance of sh960m meant to probe the alleged embezzlement of the Global Fund money has showed that the money was remitted to the internal affairs ministry account.
The internal affairs permanent secretary, however, has denied receiving the money form the treasury.
Details of the second supplementary budget for 2006/7 indicate that the money was part of the sh2.2b allocated to the ministry.
The documents certified by the clerk to Parliament show that sh960m was released to vote 009 (Internal Affairs) as additional funding to investigate Global Fund suspects.
The Accountant General, Gustavo Bwoch, who overseas government accounts, told The New Vision,/i> on Friday that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and not Bank of Uganda (BOU) should account for the money.
He also said the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) should look for the money in internal affairs ministry and not Bank of Uganda or the finance ministry.
“The DPP is right. They never got the money. The money is with internal affairs. It was meant to oversee the investigation because the criminal investigations department falls under the ministry,†Bwoch said.
“That is how it was appropriated by Parliament,†Bwoch said.
Internal affairs permanent secretary Dr. Stephen Kagoda, however, laughed off Bwoch’s explanation
“Hahahaha, No no no! That money was never given to my ministry,†Kagoda remarked.
Asked if he was sure about it, he responded: “I am 100% sure. Someone, somewhere is not telling the truth. Ask finance. If they gave it to me, then let them ask me for it.â€
The DPP accounting officer, Amos Ngolobe, told the public accounts committee on Wednesday that the directorate never received the money because it was wrongly credited to internal affairs.
He said no investigations were carried out due to lack of funds.
Ngolobe explained that when the directorate asked the internal affairs ministry for the money, the permanent secretary said they had not received it.
In a July 2 letter to the committee chairman, Nandala Mafabi, Bank of Uganda also denied knowledge of the funds. The director of banking, John Chemonges, said the money could not be traced.
“You (the committee) wanted to know why sh960m was credited to the internal affairs accounts yet it was for the DPP. We are sorry we cannot trace this transaction on the accounts of the DPP,†Chemonges said.
Parliament has instituted an investigation into the disappearance of the money.
“We have to recover this money and the person holding it must be brought to book,†Mafabi said.
INVESTIGATIONS into the disappearance of sh960m meant to probe the alleged embezzlement of the Global Fund money has showed that the money was remitted to the internal affairs ministry account.
The internal affairs permanent secretary, however, has denied receiving the money form the treasury.
Details of the second supplementary budget for 2006/7 indicate that the money was part of the sh2.2b allocated to the ministry.
The documents certified by the clerk to Parliament show that sh960m was released to vote 009 (Internal Affairs) as additional funding to investigate Global Fund suspects.
The Accountant General, Gustavo Bwoch, who overseas government accounts, told The New Vision,/i> on Friday that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and not Bank of Uganda (BOU) should account for the money.
He also said the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) should look for the money in internal affairs ministry and not Bank of Uganda or the finance ministry.
“The DPP is right. They never got the money. The money is with internal affairs. It was meant to oversee the investigation because the criminal investigations department falls under the ministry,†Bwoch said.
“That is how it was appropriated by Parliament,†Bwoch said.
Internal affairs permanent secretary Dr. Stephen Kagoda, however, laughed off Bwoch’s explanation
“Hahahaha, No no no! That money was never given to my ministry,†Kagoda remarked.
Asked if he was sure about it, he responded: “I am 100% sure. Someone, somewhere is not telling the truth. Ask finance. If they gave it to me, then let them ask me for it.â€
The DPP accounting officer, Amos Ngolobe, told the public accounts committee on Wednesday that the directorate never received the money because it was wrongly credited to internal affairs.
He said no investigations were carried out due to lack of funds.
Ngolobe explained that when the directorate asked the internal affairs ministry for the money, the permanent secretary said they had not received it.
In a July 2 letter to the committee chairman, Nandala Mafabi, Bank of Uganda also denied knowledge of the funds. The director of banking, John Chemonges, said the money could not be traced.
“You (the committee) wanted to know why sh960m was credited to the internal affairs accounts yet it was for the DPP. We are sorry we cannot trace this transaction on the accounts of the DPP,†Chemonges said.
Parliament has instituted an investigation into the disappearance of the money.
“We have to recover this money and the person holding it must be brought to book,†Mafabi said.