UGANDA: DPP stuck with Basajja’s file

By Dear Jeanne.

The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr Richard Butera, is still undecided on the sanctioning of the Shs142 billion compensation file that was forwarded to his office by the Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Directorate three months ago.

The file which names the Governor Bank of Uganda, Mr Tumusiime Mutebile, former Finance Minister Syda Bbumba and former Attorney General Khiddu Makubuya to have allegedly conspired and irregularly compensated city businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba, has been under investigations since 2011.

According to the spokesperson in the office of DPP, Ms Jane Kajuga, the directorate has concluded perusing through the file and the police have been instructed to provide a document before prosecution can begin.

“It was found that the file lacked some pertinent document and we have asked police to provide them,” Ms Kajuga said.

Delayed response

The DPP had in January been issued with a one-month ultimatum to respond to the file, to which the directorate has been blamed of derailing.

“We received both files on Mr Basajjabalaba in December and we sanctioned the forgery one. We are still reviewing the one on irregular compensation and by the end of this month (January) we shall have a response. It is not true that we have been sitting on the files,” Mr Butera told the Daily Monitor in January.

The Shs142 billion compensation by the government arose from the reversing of the then Kampala City Council decision to sell Nakasero, Shauriyako, St. Balikuddembe (Owino) markets and the Constitution Square to Mr Basajjabalaba.

The compensation process was marred with irregularities, later leading to the resignation of Prof. Makubuya and Ms Bbumba as well as calls by legislators for the stepping down of Mr Mutebile.

An audit by the Office of the Auditor General found no basis for the compensation, noting that the claims were heavily inflated in any case, and that, in reality, it was the businessman who owed the government some Shs900 million in unpaid taxes and fees.

Source: Daily Monitor (15/03/2013): http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/DPP-stuck-with-Basajja-s-file/-/688334/1720520/-/ac30op/-/index.html