OPM inquiry turns to Finance

Investigations. Police say Deputy Secretary to the Treasury Keith Muhakanizi was interviewed by detectives to help them understand government financial procedures.

Detectives from the Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Directorate (CIID) on Thursday interviewed the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Mr Keith Muhakanizi, over the Shs50 billion donor funds scandal in the Office of the Prime Minister.

The detectives arrived at Mr Muhakanizi’s office at the Ministry of Finance in Kampala at around 10am and spoke to him for more than three hours before returning to the CIID headquarters at Kibuli.

Mr Muhakanizi is not considered a suspect in the matter and was helping detectives understand government financial procedures, police sources said. The Director of CIID, Ms Grace Akullo, told the Saturday Monitor that the detectives needed all assistance they could get in the ongoing investigations.

“We have talked to a number of technocrats to help us with investigations into the matter,” she said. Detectives are trying to uncover how Shs20 billion was ferreted away to a secret account held by the OPM at the Central Bank, from which several payments were made, many into the personal bank accounts of officials.

A lot of the money remains unaccounted for. According to documents confiscated from the Ministry of Finance, a number of officials allegedly connived to withdraw the Shs20 billion from the account and later forged documents that were presented to the Accountant-General, Mr Gustavio Bwoch, to show that the money was still in the account three weeks after it had been siphoned out.

Exposure
The investigations at the OPM were sparked off by a story by the Daily Monitor that exposed the rot. A forensic examination by the Auditor General followed the arrest of Mr Goffrey Kazinda, the principal accountant, who has been taken to court over the OPM fraud.

Donors have cut aid to Uganda over the grand corruption and investigations continue.