Presidential legal aide quizzed over Bassajja claims

By Mary Karugaba and Joyce Namutebi

Presidential legal aide Joy Kabasti has distanced herself from reports that she influenced the controversial payment of the sh142b to Haba Group of companies, owned by city businessman Hassan Bassajjabalaba.

Kabasti instead blamed the former Attorney General Kiddu Makubuya for the payments saying he was supposed to take the decision after “carefully studying the letters that she had written to him.”

Appearing before the Public accounts committee on Thursday, Kabasti confirmed what the President Yoweri Museveni told the Public Accounts committee on Wednesday that she drafted the letters asking the ministers to expeditiously and conclusively handle the matter.

“The President knew and had already made a decision that the Attorney General should handle the matter. When the petitions came, I took over the matter and handed them to the committee to study and handle. I don’t think the letters had a problem,” Kabasti said.

She also admitted that in the letters she asked the Attorney General and the inter-ministerial committee to be fair to Haba and apply the same methodology that was used during the compensation award for Rhino Investments in the matter of Kisekka Market.

But MPs Margret Kiboijana, Col. Sarah Mpabwa and Rose Sseninde noted that Kabasti recommended for a methodology and fairness yet she denied knowing the figures that were paid to Haba group.

“Letters from State House carry a lot of weight. In all your letters it looked as if you had joined the petitioner (Haba Group) to tell the committee that they were unfairly treated and that their matter should be handled expeditiously,” Col. Mpabwa said.

The committee chaired by Kassiano Wadri also tasked Kabasti to explain the methodology she wanted applied.

“I got those terms from the petition. No single petition was handled by us. Those things of methodology were known by the committee that is why I forwarded them the petition to study and advice,” she insisted.

Although she appeared with another State House official, Edward Muhoozi, most of the questions were directed at Kabasti.
The committee lead counsel, Eddie Kwizera, however, noted that most of Kabasti’s letters were written to the committee that had already expired.

“Did you know that your letters were being addressed to a committee that had already expired?” Kwizera asked.