Ignore Missing Funds â€" Mps
Oct 02, 2003
THE Parliament’s Public Accounts committee (PAC) has recommended that the Government writes off the US$39,000 (sh77m) that cannot be traced from the sale of the official residence of Uganda’s ambassador in Bonn, Germany.
By John Odyek
THE Parliament’s Public Accounts committee (PAC) has recommended that the Government writes off the US$39,000 (sh77m) that cannot be traced from the sale of the official residence of Uganda’s ambassador in Bonn, Germany.
Dr Okulo Epak (Oyam South) yesterday said the sale was illegally done in 2000 and the officer who was involved in the sale had died leaving no records.
John Muwanga, the Auditor General, said there was no sale agreement and no report was made on the sale. The committee was scrutinising the Auditor General’s report 2000/01.
Epak said there were letters showing that the residence was sold for Deutschmark 350,000.
He said some of the money cannot be accounted for. “The sale was unauthorised. The money was spent arbitrarily,†he said.
Epak said some of the money from the sale was sent to buy a chancery in Pretoria and part of it was sent to renovate the Paris mission.
Julius Onen Permanent Secretary, ministry of foreign affairs, said a decision was taken by the Government to close the Bonn mission because of scarce funds.
He said this led to officers of Bonn to sell off the residence.
Former foreign affairs minister Eriya Kategaya wrote a letter to the committee admitting that Parliamentary approval was not sought in the sale of the residence.
Ends
THE Parliament’s Public Accounts committee (PAC) has recommended that the Government writes off the US$39,000 (sh77m) that cannot be traced from the sale of the official residence of Uganda’s ambassador in Bonn, Germany.
Dr Okulo Epak (Oyam South) yesterday said the sale was illegally done in 2000 and the officer who was involved in the sale had died leaving no records.
John Muwanga, the Auditor General, said there was no sale agreement and no report was made on the sale. The committee was scrutinising the Auditor General’s report 2000/01.
Epak said there were letters showing that the residence was sold for Deutschmark 350,000.
He said some of the money cannot be accounted for. “The sale was unauthorised. The money was spent arbitrarily,†he said.
Epak said some of the money from the sale was sent to buy a chancery in Pretoria and part of it was sent to renovate the Paris mission.
Julius Onen Permanent Secretary, ministry of foreign affairs, said a decision was taken by the Government to close the Bonn mission because of scarce funds.
He said this led to officers of Bonn to sell off the residence.
Former foreign affairs minister Eriya Kategaya wrote a letter to the committee admitting that Parliamentary approval was not sought in the sale of the residence.
Ends