Tullow regrets bribe claims against Museveni

By Vision reporter

Tullow Oil company has written to President Yoweri Museveni, expressing regret over the “entirely false allegations” that it considered paying him $50m (about sh130b) to meet his short term needs and demands.

In his March 20 letter to the President, the Tullow chief executive officer and founder, Aidan J. Heavey, said the company has become a victim of “groundless mudslinging” as a result of its success.
 

Museveni’s lawyers

Heavey’s letter was in reply to the one written to him this week, by Museveni’s lawyers, asking him to explain reports that the company considered paying the President sh130b to meet his short-term needs and demands. Museveni gave the company three days to explain the damaging media reports. However, Tullow’s reply came in just after one day.
 

“I am deeply disturbed that Your Excellency has been impacted by the entirely false innuendo, allegations and reporting that has been generated in relation to this matter (court case),” Heavey said.
 

Origin of the claims

When the Tullow witnesses appeared in court in the case the company filed against Heritage to recover $313m that it paid in capital gains tax, the witnesses were subjected to cross-examination by the Heritage counsel, he explained.
 

“That cross-examination has, unfortunately, resulted in selective, partial and out of context reporting of the court and consequently the unfounded allegations by the Monitor newspaper,” he added.
 

“At no time did Angus McCross or any other Tullow employee suggest making payments to Your Excellency, either to satisfy short-term needs or demands or for any other reason,” Heavey said, explaining that the only payment his company made to the Government “have been through the proper authorities.”
 

“These allegations are false and have been refuted by Tullow in open court,” he affirmed. He argued that Heritage was happy with the “efforts by the press to smear Tullow’s reputation in front of the court and the public” as it lacks substantive legal arguments to refuse paying the taxes to the Uganda Revenue Authority.

Tullow promise
 

Heavey assured the President that once the case is over next week, they will “take all necessary action to clarify the facts to the public and seek redress from those who have damaged Tullow’s reputation through publication of these false statements.”
 

He said in the 27 years that he has been Tullow chief, the company has not had any corruption allegations and that “these kind of allegations seem to arise only when we do business with Heritage.”
 

Tullow Uganda manager

On his part, Tullow Uganda general manager Jimmy Mugerwa also issued a statement in Kampala, re-affirming Heavey’s communication.
 

“The embarrassment caused to His Excellency the President of Uganda and the people of Uganda by these false allegations and reports are deeply regretted by Tullow,” Mugerwa said.
 

“At no time has His Excellency ever suggested that Tullow should make such payments and any allegation to the contrary is false and insulting,” he asserted.