Three Indians summoned over LC bicycles
Sep 20, 2011
THE public service and local government committee has summoned directors of Amman Industrial Tools and Equipment Limited over failure to supply 70,000 bicycles.
By JOYCE NAMUTEBI
THE public service and local government committee has summoned directors of Amman Industrial Tools and Equipment Limited over failure to supply 70,000 bicycles.
The directors will today appear before the committee, which is probing the local council bicycle saga.
The committee made the resolution yesterday during a meeting with Robert Mwebaze, the former head of procurement in the local government ministry.
Mwebaze named the directors as Muhinder Singh, Nishita Maini and Arjunan Rajasekaran, all Indian nationals. He also gave the committee their telephone numbers.
Also expected to appear are managers of Stanbic Bank.
Mwebaze admitted having contacted the directors even after he was transferred from the local government ministry to the Office of the Prime Minister.
Bugangaizi East MP Mabel Bakeine argued that there was another Ugandan director who had one share in the company. She said this person should also appear before the committee.
Mwebaze named the director as Kyangwa, but said he did not know his address.
Mwebaze was summoned to brief the committee about his involvement in the procurement of the bicycles.
Mwebaze was saved by the committee’s legal expert from being detained, after he advised that the witness had been cooperateve.
Committee vice-chairperson, Raphael Magyezi had moved a motion that Mwebaze be handed over to the Police for being elusive. He wanted him detained until the directors appear.
Recently, the local government ministry blamed Bank of Uganda for failure to detect a false bill of lading, making the ministry pay sh5b for the bicycles which are yet to come.
The ministry’s permanent secretary, Kashaka Muhanguzi, said they paid sh100m to Bank of Uganda to establish the authenticity of all documentation, a duty which they failed to do.
However, Mwebaze yesterday put the blame on Stanbic Bank.
“There was a problem at the submission of the bill of lading,†he said.
He said they awarded the tender to a company that was new because the parent company in India gave it powers of attorney.
The committee chairperson, Florence Kintu, warned Mwebaze that should the witnesses fail to appear, he would be held responsible.
THE public service and local government committee has summoned directors of Amman Industrial Tools and Equipment Limited over failure to supply 70,000 bicycles.
The directors will today appear before the committee, which is probing the local council bicycle saga.
The committee made the resolution yesterday during a meeting with Robert Mwebaze, the former head of procurement in the local government ministry.
Mwebaze named the directors as Muhinder Singh, Nishita Maini and Arjunan Rajasekaran, all Indian nationals. He also gave the committee their telephone numbers.
Also expected to appear are managers of Stanbic Bank.
Mwebaze admitted having contacted the directors even after he was transferred from the local government ministry to the Office of the Prime Minister.
Bugangaizi East MP Mabel Bakeine argued that there was another Ugandan director who had one share in the company. She said this person should also appear before the committee.
Mwebaze named the director as Kyangwa, but said he did not know his address.
Mwebaze was summoned to brief the committee about his involvement in the procurement of the bicycles.
Mwebaze was saved by the committee’s legal expert from being detained, after he advised that the witness had been cooperateve.
Committee vice-chairperson, Raphael Magyezi had moved a motion that Mwebaze be handed over to the Police for being elusive. He wanted him detained until the directors appear.
Recently, the local government ministry blamed Bank of Uganda for failure to detect a false bill of lading, making the ministry pay sh5b for the bicycles which are yet to come.
The ministry’s permanent secretary, Kashaka Muhanguzi, said they paid sh100m to Bank of Uganda to establish the authenticity of all documentation, a duty which they failed to do.
However, Mwebaze yesterday put the blame on Stanbic Bank.
“There was a problem at the submission of the bill of lading,†he said.
He said they awarded the tender to a company that was new because the parent company in India gave it powers of attorney.
The committee chairperson, Florence Kintu, warned Mwebaze that should the witnesses fail to appear, he would be held responsible.