IGG widens probe into Ubos fraud claims

The office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG) has widened its investigations into the alleged fraud of more than Shs2b at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos).

Daily Monitor has since learnt that the officers of the ombudsman summoned at least 12 people to assist them with the ongoing investigations.

During the interrogation, the 12 witnesses reportedly expressed shock of how their signatures were fraudulently used by Ubos officials without their knowledge to cover up their alleged fraudulent activities amounting to more than Shs300m.

Mr Denis Ogwang, a former employee on contract basis,  one of the affected people, claims Ubos used his signature without his knowledge and yet he had left the institution.

“Our client (Mr Ogwang) has been called by the office of the Inspector General and shown documents indicating that in July and August 2020, he signed documents in your office, purportedly serving in the above said capacities yet in the said period, he was not working in your office,” a letter by Mr Ogwang’s lawyers to Ubos executive director reads in part.

“Upon looking at the said documents, our client has noted that his signatures were forged by your office. These developments have caused our client emotional distress, psychological trauma and has greatly tainted his reputation within his friends and people who know him generally by looking at him as a corrupt person, not trustworthy, dishonest. As a result, his friends and business partners have started disassociating themselves from him and shaming him,” the letter adds.

Sources privy to the investigations revealed that the statistics body had allegedly forged payments for ghost activities or expenses such as fuel, guides, airtime, and vehicle security, among others.

When contacted last week, the Ubos information officer, Mr Didacus Okoth, said they were still verifying the allegations before they can respond.

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