CHOGM PROBE TEAM TO "INTERROGATE" MUSEVENI

President Museveni & Prime Minister Brown of United Kingdom


NEW VISION
3rd January, 2010
By Mary Karugaba

The parliamentary committee probing the mismanagement of funds for the 2007 Commonwealth summit (CHOGM) intends to interview President Yoweri Museveni.

Members of the public accounts committee want the President to clarify on allegations that he authorised some of the expenditures, according to the committee’s chairman, Nandala Mafabi.

Mafabi said the members are concerned that a number of implicated Government officials alleged having been authorised by the President to undertake certain expenditures for the summit.

“We plan to meet the President, brief him about the probe and ask him to clarify on a number of issues raised by officials that he authorised some of the expenditures. A number of officials are now using the President’s name to cover up for their crime,” he said.

In an interview with Sunday Vision last week, Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya said the President sanctioned the procurement of the CHOGM cars.

Earlier, foreign minister Sam Kutesa, who had shares in the company that supplied the vehicles, also told the media that Museveni sanctioned the car deal.

Bukenya, the chairman of the Cabinet sub-committee on CHOGM, and over 10 ministers are expected to appear before the probe team this month.

The President was also named in payments to a hotel that was not on the CHOGM list and never hosted any CHOGM activities.

James Mugume, the PS of foreign affairs, told Parliament last month that Museveni sanctioned the release of $1.3m (2.5b) to J&M Airport Road Hotel. The money was released a few days before the start of the summit.

In a closed-door meeting with the parliamentary committee, Mugume said he implemented a presidential directive.

In his New Year’s address to the nation, Museveni vowed to punish government officials who stole CHOGM funds.

“The success of CHOGM notwithstanding, I do not condone the action of those public officials who abused procedures and mismanaged any resources allocated to them for the event,” he stated.

He noted that he commissioned the special audit into the CHOGM expenditures, which is now being debated in Parliament, and that the Government fully supported the probe.

“The Government will ensure that the necessary punitive action is taken against officials abusing rules and regulations.”

The committee is expected to resume work on January 15 with officials from the Prime Minister’s office explaining how Saatchi and Saatchi was awarded a contract to get sponsorship from the business community. The money was not remitted to the Government.

In order to reduce the volume of work, the committee will extend the sessions from 1:00pm to 3:00pm, Mafabi announced.