KAMPALA – Another senior Staff of Bank of Uganda has Tuesday morning been charged before the Anti-corruption court with offenses relating to inclusion of unauthorised cargo aboard an exclusive BOU flight.
Mr. Charles Malinga Akol the Director Currency appeared before Grade one magistrate Abert Asiimwe where he denied the charges slapped against him.
Prosecution states that Malinga as the Director Currency neglected to perform his duty of contract management between Bank of Uganda and French Company contracted to print when he failed to ensure that the materials supplied were delivered as per the agreed terms .
Malinga now joins Francis Kakeeto 36, a banker working as a Branch manager of Bank of Uganda, Mbale Branch and his assistant Fred Vito Wanyama, 42, who were the first to be charged over the same matter last week.
According to the charges sanctioned by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Mike Chibita, the duo was assigned by their employer (BOU) to carry out a pre-shipment inspection of printed currency in France but in abuse of their respective offices allowed inclusion of unauthorized cargo on a chartered plane.
In the alternative, the three suspects are facing a charge of corruption in which they are said to have corruptly neglected to perform their duties by failing to report unauthorized cargo on a plane fully chartered by Bank of Uganda.
Prosecution adds that the three allegedly committed the offenses on April 26, 2019 between France, Belgium and Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.
The three have been remanded to Luzira Prison because their sureties did not have proper identification documents to present in court as a requirement if one is to be granted bail.
They are now seeking for bail application as police investigations further continue.
The arrest of the trio followed a complaint registered by Governor Bank of Uganda Emmanuel Mutebile to state house Anti-corruption unit after he became suspicious of extra cargo that entered the country abode a chartered BOU plane that was carrying printed material.
Reports indicate that the plane landed at Entebbe International Airport on the April 27, 2019 and was cleared by URA officials in the presence of Bank of Uganda officials and Aviation security .
However according to a statement from Bank of Uganda , the chartered plane had to carry 20 pallets instead of 25.
The alleged anomaly was detected during the verification of the consignment hence commencement of investigations which have so far revealed that the extra cargo belongs to powerful businessmen in the country and organisations.
A joint investigation between CID and State House Anti-corruption unit has so far led to the arrest of a number Bank of Uganda officials .
