EC Stops Two Staff Members On Fraud

Jul 19, 2002

THE Electoral Commission (EC) has interdicted two officials in the finance department implicated by the Inspector General of Government (IGG) in gross mismanagement of public funds.

By Alfred Wasike and Okello Jabweli THE Electoral Commission (EC) has interdicted two officials in the finance department implicated by the Inspector General of Government (IGG) in gross mismanagement of public funds.“We have suspended two staff in our finance department in our on-going response to the IGG’s report. “Susan Wanume and Aida Nankumba have been interdicted to pave way for further investigations and court action,” EC secretary Sam Rwakoojo told The New Vision yesterday.He said, “We don’t have enough evidence on the others named in the report yet.” He said the EC was preparing a response to the IGG’s findings. The decision to suspend the two followed hot on the heels of the IGG’s report calling for the sacking of the leadership of the electoral body for massive mismanagement of public funds, incompetence and lack of integrity. The IGG recommended that Nankumba be dismissed and prosecuted on several grounds, including making eight payment vouchers that resulted in double payments and subsequent loss of sh238m. “She claimed she made them on the basis of verbal instructions. She did not reveal the source of the instructions,” the report said.The IGG also stated that she made other vouchers that were questionable. She also wrote without authority voucher S409 for cheque number EOO003257965 of sh12.5m that was also not accounted for, the IGG said.The IGG recommended the same action against Wanume for having examined and passed for payment the eight vouchers when they had false supporting documents.He said she also tried to conceal the fraud by coding in such a way that no payments to the same district appeared on the same code sheets. The IGG said Wanume also examined and passed the sh12.5m voucher based on false attachments. He said she also examined and passed for payment voucher number S184 for cheque number E003283046 of sh36.4m. It was also based on false attachments, he said.Several other top EC officials implicated by the IGG’s findings including the former Secretary, Andrew Muwonge and others have been interdicted and are awaiting court action.Ends

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