NSSF probe MPs write minority report
Oct 19, 2008
SIX members of the probe committee have rejected the findings on the NSSF Temangalo land deal and are writing a minority report, the NRM whip on the committee, Stephen Tashobya, has said.
By Cyprian Musoke
SIX members of the probe committee have rejected the findings on the NSSF Temangalo land deal and are writing a minority report, the NRM whip on the committee, Stephen Tashobya, has said.
The final report, which is to be presented to the Speaker of Parliament tomorrow, allegedly accuses NRM Secretary General Amama Mbabazi and finance minister Ezra Suruma of conflict of interest and violating the leadership code.
“We disagreed with some of the findings and recommendations. For the good of our country, we hope Parliament will look at both reports and come to a fair decision,†Tashobya said last night.
“For somebody to be disciplined or take responsibility, we think there must be sufficient evidence and a fair hearing so that other considerations do not hijack the cause,†he added.
According to the minority group, the findings are based on only one testimony, that of Jamwa when he appeared the second time before the committee, behind closed doors, claiming he had been pressurised by Suruma at a Warid concert in Munyonyo.
The report, they say, does not mention Jamwa’s first testimony and ignores the testimony of the board members, in which they said there was no influence peddling.
“We are saying he (Jamwa) is not a truthful person. It was his word against that of the board, the minister and his own first testimony, but without any evidence, they chose to believe Jamwa’s second testimony,†Tashobya, who is the MP for Kajara, said.
He noted that some tapes of vital hearings went missing, including that of Jamwa’s first appearance and the Solicitor General’s hearing.
“Jamwa lied under oath because what he said in the first appearance was not what he said when he reappeared,†said James Kakooza, another committee member and MP for Kabula.
“Nobody can judge in this case. There are no concrete grounds to prove conflict of interest. They are mere assumptions.â€
He revealed that the committee obtained a print-out of Mbabazi’s calls in the month the deal was finalised and there was no single call to any of the NSSF managers.
The minority group further claims the report of their colleagues has several inaccuracies and contradictions and is based on selective testimonies.
They point out that the Solicitor General’s advice to the committee, where he categorised the land deal as an investment, was ignored.
“The report says procurement procedures were flouted but we got a letter from the Solicitor General saying buying of land by NSSF was not a procurement but an investment,†Tashobya noted.
Another member points out that the report recommends that the law be amended to include land acquisition as a procurement, “implicitly acknowledging that under the current law it is an investmentâ€.
Asked whether the price of the land was found inflated, Tashobya said the report observed that the value for money was affected by the presence of a wetland which was belatedly “declared†by NEMA.
“There was a preconceived outcome and they worked towards that, singling out what suited them,†noted one MP.
Other members of the minority group are NRM MPs Perez Ahabwe (Rubanda East), Rose Munyira (Busia), Erisa Kaahwa (Buruuli County) and Independent MP Tress Bucanayandi (Bufumbira South).
SIX members of the probe committee have rejected the findings on the NSSF Temangalo land deal and are writing a minority report, the NRM whip on the committee, Stephen Tashobya, has said.
The final report, which is to be presented to the Speaker of Parliament tomorrow, allegedly accuses NRM Secretary General Amama Mbabazi and finance minister Ezra Suruma of conflict of interest and violating the leadership code.
“We disagreed with some of the findings and recommendations. For the good of our country, we hope Parliament will look at both reports and come to a fair decision,†Tashobya said last night.
“For somebody to be disciplined or take responsibility, we think there must be sufficient evidence and a fair hearing so that other considerations do not hijack the cause,†he added.
According to the minority group, the findings are based on only one testimony, that of Jamwa when he appeared the second time before the committee, behind closed doors, claiming he had been pressurised by Suruma at a Warid concert in Munyonyo.
The report, they say, does not mention Jamwa’s first testimony and ignores the testimony of the board members, in which they said there was no influence peddling.
“We are saying he (Jamwa) is not a truthful person. It was his word against that of the board, the minister and his own first testimony, but without any evidence, they chose to believe Jamwa’s second testimony,†Tashobya, who is the MP for Kajara, said.
He noted that some tapes of vital hearings went missing, including that of Jamwa’s first appearance and the Solicitor General’s hearing.
“Jamwa lied under oath because what he said in the first appearance was not what he said when he reappeared,†said James Kakooza, another committee member and MP for Kabula.
“Nobody can judge in this case. There are no concrete grounds to prove conflict of interest. They are mere assumptions.â€
He revealed that the committee obtained a print-out of Mbabazi’s calls in the month the deal was finalised and there was no single call to any of the NSSF managers.
The minority group further claims the report of their colleagues has several inaccuracies and contradictions and is based on selective testimonies.
They point out that the Solicitor General’s advice to the committee, where he categorised the land deal as an investment, was ignored.
“The report says procurement procedures were flouted but we got a letter from the Solicitor General saying buying of land by NSSF was not a procurement but an investment,†Tashobya noted.
Another member points out that the report recommends that the law be amended to include land acquisition as a procurement, “implicitly acknowledging that under the current law it is an investmentâ€.
Asked whether the price of the land was found inflated, Tashobya said the report observed that the value for money was affected by the presence of a wetland which was belatedly “declared†by NEMA.
“There was a preconceived outcome and they worked towards that, singling out what suited them,†noted one MP.
Other members of the minority group are NRM MPs Perez Ahabwe (Rubanda East), Rose Munyira (Busia), Erisa Kaahwa (Buruuli County) and Independent MP Tress Bucanayandi (Bufumbira South).