Lands Minister Betty Amongi has been implicated in grabbing property belonging to departed Asians.
In a complaint filed before the Justice Catherine Bamugemerire land probe Commission on Thursday April 3, Mr Toshak Partel has testified that before the expulsion of Asians from Uganda by then President Idi Amin, his grand parents were the registered proprietors of Plot 29 on Acacia Avenue which was later entrusted to the Departed Asian Properties Custodian Board .
Partel claims that in 1995, his family returned to Uganda and his mother Mandakini Manubai Partel re-possesed the said property, appointing him as care -taker of the property. He added that he then rented the property off to Midcom Ltd, a local telecommunications company.
According to Mr Partel’s complaint, his family was asked to vacate the property in 2017, in a letter from a company called AMOBET Investments Ltd.
The letter stated that the land had never been re-possessed and therefore it automatically reverted back to government.
Partel further claims that a February 15, 2018 letter signed by the current Lands minister Amongi on the Ministry’s letter head summoned him, through his lawyers Bitangaro and Company Advocates, to appear at the ministry headquarters for questioning in relation to the alleged forged documents including a land tittle and a certificate of re-possession regarding the contentious property.
Partel told the commission that he then instructed his lawyers to first carry out a search at the registrar of companies to establish the legitimacy and ownership of AMOBET company .
That a check at the Registrar of companies revealed that minister Amongi owns 66% of AMOBET company and the remaining 44% belongs to a one Cate Odongo.
Partel testified that the above revelations clearly show that minister Amongi is using her position to steal his family’s property valued at Shs5 billion.
Attempts to reach Ms Amongi by press time remained futile.
