MP Balyeku In Hot Soup As Land Commission Queries His Fat Bank Accounts

By Andrew Irumba

Jinja West Member of Parliament, Moses Grace Balyeku is bound to find himself in more trouble than he anticipated, after Justice Catherine Bagumereire’s land commission instituting an inquiry into his bank accounts and how he has acquired wealth within a short time

The Commission has has also commenced fresh investigations into finances of Balyekue’s business associate Thummar Jay Magnalal Patel.    

The Commission is investigating allegations that the two engineering strings of forgeries, fraud, irregularities and corruption in the land transaction involving plot 24 B Kyabazinga Way, near the Nile Bridge in Jinja Municipality.    

They were implicated for being responsible for the transaction that has since been proven fraudulent by testimonies of members of Jinja district land boards, Jinja district land officials as well as Ministry of Land officials in various public hearings conducted by the Commission of Inquiry into land matters.    

Justice Bamugemereire commission is investigating criminal activities associated with the transactions, corruption and frauds which led to the issuance of a freehold land title over subsisting lease of Jinja Municipal Council.    

On Monday, Commission chairperson Lady Justice Bamugmereire ordered the two business partners Patel Jay Thummar Magnalal and MP Balyeku to supply the commission with all their Bank account details.    

Justice Bamugemereire said the Commission requires the accounts details to aid investigation into the source of the Shs2.4Bn which MP Balyeku said he used in settling interests of ten individuals who also held titles over the said piece of land.  

Balyeku is currently battling allegations of grabbing land and property k

On Thursday last week, MP Balyeku said he withdrew the Shs2.4Bn from his accounts to settle interests of the individuals for the land so that his partner Patel could use for building a world class shopping mall befitting of the new city status of Jinja.     

However,, The Commission was prompted to order the probe after Patel denied transferring 500,000 Million shillings to MP Balyeku to facilitate acquisition of the piece of land.    

Two investors are fighting over ownership of the land after Tirupatui development Uganda Limited petitioned the Commission of Inquiry to probe how it got defrauded of the land after securing a 25-year lease from Jinja Municipal Council at 55 Million shillings for construction of a public recreation park on October 31st, 2007.    

The investigations commenced after businessman Thummar Jay Patel Magnalal went to clear the site for construction of the shopping mall last month.    

Since then, several witnesses have testified including Sakwa Eric Joseph, the Jinja Resident District Commissioner, Chairperson Jinja District Land Board Innocent Ndiiko Ngobi and Robert Opiyo, the Acting Commissioner Land Registration in the Ministry of Lands among others.