Bagyenda investigations almost complete, says IGG
Ms Mulyagonja
Kampala- After months of uncertainty about the ongoing investigations into the alleged illicit enrichment by Bank of Uganda’s outgoing director of supervision, Ms Justine Bagyenda, the Inspector General of Government (IGG), Justice Irene Mulyagonja, has revealed that she is compiling a report about the matter.
Ms Bagyenda, who faces allegations of amassing wealth in the whistleblowers petitions to the IGG, is also being investigated by Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) over money laundering accusations.
On February 20, a whistleblower petitioned the IGG to investigate Ms Bagyenda, referring to different assets, and the billions of shillings she allegedly held in two bank accounts in Kampala.
However, more than three months later, the IGG has come under pressure as critics raise concerns over the duration of the investigations and also some of the sections of the public alleging that she had blocked the process because Ms Bagyenda is her friend.
Ms Bagyenda’s investigations and asset verification has been carried out by the Leadership Code Directorate in the office of the IGG.
The IGG said much as there is public interest in the matter, her office by law is not supposed to reveal every step of investigations of any kind to the public but reports are sent to the relevant government agencies that have authority over the person being investigated.
Ms Mulyagonja, who on Wednesday during State-of-the-Nation Address was publicly castigated by President Museveni for being ineffective in fighting corruption, said she is determined to reach a conclusion in this matter.
“We welcome any other authority that can verify Bagyenda’s assets. We shall hand over the declarations so that authority does the verification so that the public stops accusing me of being friends with this woman. I don’t know where they trace me being a friend of Bagyenda. I came to know Justine Bagyenda as director of bank supervision about two years ago. Before that, I didn’t know this woman,” she said.
Ms Mulyagonja, who also clarified that her investigations into Ms Bagyenda does not relate to the sale of Crane Bank by the Central Bank, said her verification of assets report will be sent to the Parliament Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises which is doing other investigations on Bank of Uganda.
