Former URA official denies soliciting for oil bonus

Mar 21, 2017

The former litigation manager instead told the probe to ask President Yoweri Museveni for answers

URA's former litigation manager Peter Muliisa (L) pictured during an appearance before the committee on March 2nd alongside KCCA executive director Jennifer Musisi (C) and UNRA executive director Allen Kagina. Photo by Kennedy Oryema

As the debate on whether the 42 government officials deserved the sh6bn bonus rages on, former Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) litigation manager, has advised Members of Parliament probing the scam to ask President Yoweri Museveni for answers.

Appearing before the committee, Peter Muliisa insisted that nobody solicited for the reward but the officials were appreciated for the exceptionally work well done that led to the winning of the $404 capital gains tax case between the Government of Uganda and Heritage Oil.

"I can categorically state that there was no solicitation of this reward made by the President. The President was grateful for the excellent job done by the team, offered and rewarded the team," he said.

"Whether we deserved to be rewarded, I think that is not for me to say. The committee should ask the President why he did so," he added.

Asked whether he had done any extraordinary work to deserve the award, Muliisa said; "I did not do something miraculous but I am stating what I did. The reward was for exceptional results within my ordinary role".

But when the committee chaired by Abdu Katuntu asked Muliisa to specify his exact roles, he said it was mainly around the pre-assessment process, supporting colleagues from the domestic department with legal guidance till the assessment was issued, perusing, reviewing documents and identifying witnesses.

"Was that outside your normal duties? I thought as a lawyer, that is what you were supposed to do," committee chairman Katuntu quizzed.

"I did what I was assigned in line with my roles stipulated in my employment contract. To do anything outside this would have mounted to breach of the said contract or even the law. The reward was not given for doing work outside my normal duty but rather for the excellent result achieved in doing our work" Muliisa said.

During the meeting, it was also revealed that despite the magnitude of monies involved, most of the decisions from the meetings on the matter were not recorded.

This was after Muliisa failed to produce minutes of the meetings he reportedly attended that decided on the reward and other matters.

According to Muliisa, most of the meetings were chaired by the Attorney General or Solicitor General.

The committee is investigating the circumstances under which 42 government officials were awarded sh6b for winning a capital gains tax case against Heritage Oil in London.

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