Let Lotto Operate â€" Solicitor General
Mar 03, 2003
THE Solicitor General has advised the Ministry of Finance to allow the Uganda Lottery Company (ULC) to commence its lottery operations immediately,
THE Solicitor General has advised the Ministry of Finance to allow the Uganda Lottery Company (ULC) to commence its lottery operations immediately, reports Geoffrey Kamal.
Lucien Tibaruha warned the ministry of dire consequences, including loss of US$40m (over sh72b) to government, should they sign another agreement with a new company before the expiry of the existing one with ULC.
“Your ministry may, without the involvement of this ministry, proceed to pay the said US$40m as damages and negotiate another agency agreement. However, both actions will be unconstitutional and payment of US$40m as damages will be nugatory expenditure, which you will, be held personally responsible under article 164 of the constitution,†he said.
The finance ministry had earlier suggested to the Solicitor General that a new company, M/S Defarri International, was ready to go into an agency agreement to run the lottery business.
Defarri are the foreign partners of ULC, who the ministry asked to apply afresh for the licence but then excluded their local partners.
Finance minister Gerald Sendaula his deputy, Mwesigwa Rukutana and the Permanent Secretary, Chris Kasami, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Ends
Lucien Tibaruha warned the ministry of dire consequences, including loss of US$40m (over sh72b) to government, should they sign another agreement with a new company before the expiry of the existing one with ULC.
“Your ministry may, without the involvement of this ministry, proceed to pay the said US$40m as damages and negotiate another agency agreement. However, both actions will be unconstitutional and payment of US$40m as damages will be nugatory expenditure, which you will, be held personally responsible under article 164 of the constitution,†he said.
The finance ministry had earlier suggested to the Solicitor General that a new company, M/S Defarri International, was ready to go into an agency agreement to run the lottery business.
Defarri are the foreign partners of ULC, who the ministry asked to apply afresh for the licence but then excluded their local partners.
Finance minister Gerald Sendaula his deputy, Mwesigwa Rukutana and the Permanent Secretary, Chris Kasami, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Ends