Besigye releases FDC ‘dirty money’ serial numbers

A day after his withering criticism of the Forum for Democratic Change’s (FDC) top leadership, Dr Kizza Besigye yesterday released what he said are serial numbers of the “dirty money” they allegedly received from State House.

The retired colonel and founding president of FDC said this money was part of a conspiracy to betray and hand FDC over to President Museveni -- in fulfilment of his 2016 declaration that there would be no political Opposition by 2021.

But within minutes of Monitor obtaining copies of the serial numbers, party secretary general Nathan Nandala Mafabi, who is at the centre of this still-unfolding cash scandal, challenged Dr Besigye to produce the actual “dirty money” he is accused of receiving and distributing.

A little while later, Mr Patrick Oboi Amuriat Oboi, the FDC party president, told Monitor he would address a press conference on August 9 to respond to the issues raised by Dr Besigye.

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Stacked in 15 batches of sequenced serial numbers, Dr Besigye said his information was extracted from Shs300m in Shs20,000 notes that originated from State House, according to his investigations. He told a press conference on Monday that the notes were part of the suspected “dirty money” Mr Mafabi handed over to him for safe-keeping and also distributed within the FDC two years ago.

Other party leaders have recently alleged that Mr Mafabi and Mr Amuriat allowed billions of shillings, reportedly from State House, to be pumped into FDC ahead of the 2021 General Election. Both leaders deny the allegations and have repeatedly demanded for proof from their accusers.

During the Monday press briefing, Dr Besigye said he first asked questions about the source of the money in September 2020. He said when he met a small group of FDC senior members upon being tipped-off by an unnamed source inside State House, he presented his concerns. 

Several meetings were subsequently held over the matter, but without success. In 2022, he again brought it up before a top FDC decision-making organ. That organ then set up a Special Elders Committee (SEC) chaired by Dr Frank Nabwiso to investigate the matter.

The SEC submitted its report to an emergency party National Council meeting last month, on July 28. However, although the report cleared Mr Mafabi and Mr Amuriat, it has since been dismissed by some senior party members, including Dr Besigye, as not worth the paper it was written on.

At the Monday press conference, Dr Besigye critcised the SEC for not acting on his information. He also said when he learned that Mr Mafabi and Mr Amuriat received the “dirty money” from State House, he documented the serial numbers of the notes.

“The Shs300m was in brand new Shs20,000 notes wrapped in bundles of Shs20m, each labelled ‘Bank of Uganda’ with serial numbers of all the notes indicated. When the information about ‘dirty money’ broke out about two weeks later, I decided to recover and keep these labels, and that is because new money coming out of Bank of Uganda can be traceable when it is released into circulation,” he said. 

He added: “That’s how they (the central bank) ensure there are no counterfeits. The serial numbers are traceable, and especially if they are new notes like we had this time. It’s possible to know where it was released to. So, I recovered that information, which I also eventually supplied to the committee of elders, but which I also used myself to find more information about this money."

“In the course of this controversy, one of the investigations I conducted was to establish the source of the new bank notes that were kept with me. 

The Bank of Uganda keeps a record of how new currency notes are released into circulation. Although this wouldn’t be conclusive, it adds useful circumstantial evidence. I presented this to the SEC,” he said.

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The four-time former presidential candidate said it was wrong for the FDC officials to receive money from the same source they are attempting to dislodge from power.
Saying the President fears systems that operate outside his control, Dr Besigye said “[President] Museveni is happy to fund elections because he knows the outcomes and will even give you money for campaigns… He gives this money to disorganise the party and fight those who try to use other methods to dislodge him other than through elections, but secondly also to fight those who try to unite other change-seeking people,” he said.

However, President Museveni’s deputy press secretary, Mr Farouk Kirunda, has vehemently denied that the country’s leader had anything to do with the alleged dirty money.

In a telephone interview with Monitor yesterday, Mr Kirunda gave an almost similar response to what Mr Mafabi had said, also challenging Dr Besigye to produce the exact cash which he said came from the State House. 

“Does he have the physical cash? Does he have the money, if not so, that is just mere talking… Why didn’t he call a press conference at that time to say, ‘I have this money, here and I know the source is from State House’?” he said, before adding: “That way we would be able to verify if the money matched with the serials (sic) we have in our possession. Otherwise, anyone can have access to the serial numbers of money from State House”.

ICYMI: What Besigye, Mafabi, Amuriat told FDC probe committee regarding 'dirty money'

Mr Kirunda also wondered why Dr Besigye did not publicly present the evidence when he received the cash and waited for two years before revealing the serial numbers without cash evidence.

“… Why is he raising the issue of money to State House? Whatever he says holds no water so long as he does not have the physical cash to substantiate his claims,” Mr Kirunda said.

Dr Besigye had on Monday actually indicated that he first raised the issue of “dirty money” two years ago in late 2020. It is at this time that he allegedly told senior party colleagues about the tip-off from a knowledgeable source that the money had come from State House. 

Following that revelation, FDC set up the SEC to address the issue, with little success, ultimately plunging the party into the present faction fighting.

Mafabi responds
During the interview with Monitor, Mr Mafabi had, just like Mr Kirunda, also wondered why Dr Besigye never brought the actual money as evidence with serial numbers intact. 

The FDC secretary general said while he did not record the serial numbers of the money he handed over to Dr Besigye, the former FDC leader has some explaining to do.

Mr Mafabi also wondered why Dr Besigye did not bring his State House informant before the elders committee to corroborate his claims. 

“He has a contact in State House. Why didn’t he bring his informant to the committee? He brought [back] this money and it was spent by the party. It’s recorded in party accounts.” 

FDC mess:Who is telling the truth?

Mr Mafabi also dared Dr Besigye to show evidence that all the money he used in his campaigns of 2006, 2011, 2016 all went through FDC bank accounts. 

“…Where did this money come from? KB wants to own FDC. FDC belongs to members, not individuals. We are ready for forensic [audit] from 2005 to-date,” he said while referring to Dr Besigye’s demand on Monday for a forensic audit into FDC’s accounts.

BoU no comment
Bank of Uganda yesterday declined to comment on whether they keep a traceable record using serial numbers of money released to specific government departments.
Responding to our email inquiries, the bank’s director of communications, Mr Kenneth Egesa said the central bank releases to government departments upon receiving instructions but does not monitor where the money ends up. 

FDC’s options
With the FDC party locked in mortal combat with itself, opponents of Mr Amuriat and Mr Mafabi, who have now largely retreated to Katonga Road, Kampala, where Dr Besigye presides over a parallel power centre, have declared they will not allow their party to end up in the hands of President Museveni.

The party president and his secretary general do not appear to have been fully absolved by the SEC’s findings, especially now that the Nabwiso committee is fending off accusations of bias and increasingly appears to have been discredited. The committee chairman, however, maintains his committee’s innocence, strongly denying he was compromised to give Mr Amuriat and Mr Mafabi a clean bill of health.

Both sides are not ready to quit, but are preparing for a likely showdown in November when FDC’s national delegates conference is expected to take place.

In the meantime, party branches countrywide have largely declined to hold scheduled grassroots elections despite the urging of the embattled top leaders. Those elections were supposed to produce branch leaders, who would then be delegates in November when FDC is supposed to renew its over-all top leadership.

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While addressing journalists on Monday, Dr Besigye expressed confidence in the resilience of party members and rallied them “to reclaim their party from Mr Mafabi’s coup and capture by the very few” who he said are no longer competent to run FDC’s affairs.

Some of the serial numbers of the contested cash

BH 6561001 – BH 6562000
BH 6571001 – BH 6572000
BH 6595001 – BH 6596000
BH 6749001 – BH 6750000

BH 6747001 – BH 6748000
BH 6724001 – BH 6725000
BH 6599001 – BH 6600000
BH 6596001 – BH 6597000