Lawyer held over Best Kemigisa’s money

City advocate Bob Kasango was yesterday held by police to help with investigations into the circumstances under which Shs3.9 billion, which the government paid to the Tooro queen mother in exchange for her land was stolen.
Mr Kasango was held yesterday after a week-long hunt. He is currently detained at an undisclosed police station on offences of theft and forgery.

The police detectives working on President Museveni’s orders earlier in the morning took Mr Kasango to his office at Workers House in Kampala and searched it thoroughly for any leads.

President Museveni, according to sources, recently instructed the Police Chief, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, to investigate circumstances under which the money was allegedly stolen.

Detectives said Mr Kasango will not be released until the case is taken to court since he has reportedly been evading summons. Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba confirmed the arrest and said they were still gathering information from Mr Kasango’s city office.

“Mr Kasango as the legal representative of the Queen Mother received all the payments from the government but failed to pay even a single coin to his client,” Ms Nabakooba told Daily Monitor yesterday.

She said he also forged a letter by the Lands Ministry permanent secretary to indicate that he had only received half the payment. “We are holding him on charges of theft and forgery,” Ms Nabakooba said yesterday.

According to police records, the case stems from the sale of 11 plots of land at Shs3.9 billion in 2008 to the government by the Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa.
It is alleged that the Queen Mother authorised the government to pay the said money through the bank account of her counsel, Mr Kasango.

On November, 25, 2008, the Lands Ministry Permanent Secretary, Gabindadde Musoke, sent a letter informing Mr Kasango that they had effected part of the payment, police said.

“The PS released the bigger amount of the money and promised to pay a balance of Shs12.4m later,” Ms Nabakooba said. On March, 12, 2009, the PS is said to have paid Mr Kasango the balance.

But Mr Kasango allegedly did not remit the money to his client, which prompted the Queen Mother to seek help from President Museveni, detectives said. Detectives said Mr Kasango allegedly forged a letter by the Lands permanent secretary indicating that they had made a transaction of only Shs1.3 billion.

“Ever since the investigations were started, we have been trying to get in touch with Mr Kasango but to no avail. He even switched off his phones and stopped going to his office,” a detective said.

The same land deal is also under inquiry by the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee that says it was done without following proper procedures.
The Auditor General in his June 2009 audit report raised the matter and asked Parliament to investigate because the payment looked flawed.