I am not a thief - Mutebile

By Mary Karugaba

"I am not a thief," Bank of Uganda Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile has said. He was speaking for the first time since the presentation of the public accounts committee report to Parliament on the 142b compesation to city businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba.

Mutebile was angrey that some reports have labelled him "thief" yet he has been Governor of the Central Bank for 10 years without any blemish.                   

The controversial  amounts were awarded to Basajjabalaba as compensation for the loss of business for the city markets.
Mutebile is indicted for writing “letters of comfort” to four commercial banks that guaranteed Bank of Uganda to repay loan facilities taken by Basajjabalaba’s Haba Group of Companies in expectation of his compensation from the Government.

He denied reports that he has been interrogated twice by the Police, saying he only met them (the Police) for 30 minutes on Friday.

Mutebile, however, declined to give details of his discussion with the Police, but said they wanted clarifications on the letters of comfort that were issued out to commercial banks.

Mutebile is among the top three government officials who were implicated in the controversial payment by Parliament’s public accounts committee (PAC).

The report recommended that Mutebile together with Prof. Khiddu Makubuya and Syda Bbumba be fired for their involvement.

The two ministers have since resigned. But Parliament stood over the committee’s recommendations awaiting the Government’s final position on the matter.

Asked to comment on the MPs demand for his resignation, Mutebile said they should wait for the Cabinet’s sub-committee’s investigations.

This was after Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi pleaded for more time to enable the Cabinet sub-committee set up by the President and chaired by defence minister Crispus Kiyonga to first interact with the governor.

While appearing before the committee last year, Mutebile said half of the money had already been paid out to the banks.
“When the deadline reached, and Government had not paid Basajjabalaba, the banks demanded for their money. The payment was on the understanding that it would be deducted immediately the Government clears the debt,” he said.

Mutebile added that when the money rose to sh142b, he questioned the figures and stopped further payments.

According to deputy leader of government business in Parliament Moses Ali, the committee will start business when Kiyonga returns from London.

Meanwhile, information and national guidance minister Mary Karooro told New Vision last evening that the ministerial sub-committee had met Mutebile, former Solicitor General Billy Kainamura and  former town clerk James Ssegane in relation to the PAC recommendations.

She said the committee will tomorrow present its report to Parliament.