By Andrew Irumba
Officials managing the Departed Asians Property Custodian Board (DAPCB) are grappling with allegations of engaging into scandals that have seen government lose billions of tax payers’ money.
They are accused of among others; misappropriating over Shs1.77 Billion, theft of public funds, double allocation of property, forged land titles, sale of assets without proper valuation, fraudulently selling off properties under the Board and failure to account for hundreds of millions of shillings received from the sale of many properties.
This was revealed in Parliament on Tuesday when officials of DAPCB were appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Commission, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), to answer queries cited in the Auditor General’s report about their operations.
The Auditor General John F.S. Muwanga noted in his 2017/2018 report that “Shs292.3m was withdrawn from the DAPCB accounts without explanation as to the nature and purpose of the payments…these actions are not in accordance with the best practices in financial management.
Muwanga in his report also queried unpaid compensation claims of up to Shs1.77 Billions which lacked supporting documents.
The COSASE task force led by Makindye East Member of Parliament Ibrahim Kasozi on Tuesday officially started its work after it was set up by Committee Chairman Mubarak Munyagwa (Kawempe South), to investigate operations of DAPCB officials.
The task force is probing how hundreds of properties including houses and land that were compensated by government after their owners decided not to return for repossession ended up being sold to some government officials and city businessmen.
Some of the top government officials being investigated are; Attorney General William Byaruhanga, whom the MPs want to explain how already compensated properties landed in hands of individuals, Lands Minister Betty Amongi for allegedly trying to sale property along Lugogo by-pass; Maj Gen (Rtd) Kasirye Gwanga and Judiciary Permanent Secretary, Pius Bigirimana for allegedly securing ownership of properties.
During the DAPCB session with COSASE, Theodore Ssekikuubo, the Lwemiyaga Member of Parliament, revealed that although the Property Services and other companies have claimed over 200 properties in the earlier Custodian Board report, in the final report sent to Parliament most of these properties don’t appear.
Instead, the DAPCB Executive Secretary George William Bizibu presented to Parliament a list of nine properties. Among the properties is Plot 24 along Kampala Road. But the same property was in 2012 declared by High Court Land Division Justice Joseph Murangira as not property of DAPCB. In his ruling, Justice Murangira stated thus; “ The claim to this plot according to the court was made and created without jurisdiction, irregularly, unlawfully, illegally and therefore, it’s a nullity.”
Legislators tasked Bizibu to explain why he had included Plot 24 as part of the properties under DACPB and in his explanation he said;
“The exercise of managing and disposal of properties under the Custodian Board was quite challenging to the people involved because of the time and volume of literature involved especially where it was not easy to verify some of the documents presented to the Board.”
He added that with the new technology in managing superior investigations and better sources of information, the challenges will gradually be contained.
However, when asked to give his view about the queries raised in the Auditor General’s report Minister for Finance and Economic Planning Matia Kasaija declined to respond, despite being the Chairman of the Board.
He also pleaded to Parliament to provide him with security, saying he fears for his life after revealing sensitive information to the task force set up to investigate dubious acquisition of departed Asians’ properties.
“With the evidence we are giving to this committee, we have opened a Pandora box and I don’t move with even a knife. So, my security and that of these members I came with is very vital,” Bizibu said.
