PAC intercepts fake documents from premier’s office workers

The Assistant Commissioner for Karamoja, Mr Martin Etyang, failed to account for more than Shs612 million.

MPs investigating the theft of foreign aid in the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday seized fictitious documents from officials who were trying to save themselves.

Fictitious expenditures made to ghost regional workshops and request for forgiveness also took centre stage in the committee as key suspects at the OPM appeared in the PAC for the seventh time to defend themselves from the accusations in the Auditor General’s report.

At least Shs306 million was spent on ghost regional workshops. Mr James Okoja, a former principal assistant secretary, told the inquiry yesterday that the Permanent Secretary, Mr Pius Bigirimana, approved the work-plans for the workshops, but the money was not paid to him.

Evidence
While there is evidence that the workshops did not take place, the auditors found forged documents in Mr Okoja’s name. They also found out that despite having a total of 14 vehicles, no single allowance was paid to a driver. Fuel receipts show that all the 14 vehicles were going to each region, yet only two were needed for the six officers.

The Public Accounts Committee chairperson, Mr Kassiano Wadri, asked Mr Okoja why he never detected the fraud even after spending 10 years at the OPM to which he replied: “I sensed that there was something wrong, but you should be very tough to tell the king that he is naked. You’re dealing with a system failure and it normally degenerates into [the fraud] you see today.”

ymugerwa@ug.nationmedia.com