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More details emerge on fraud at Land Commission
Charles Twiine, CID spokesperson, said they are looking for more accomplices in the fraud. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Sources said the fraud, which has cost the taxpayer about Shs25b, has been ongoing for more than two years.
The three Uganda Land Commission (ULC) officials were arrested in connection with payments to ghost beneficiaries during government’s acquisition of land, Daily Monitor has learnt.
Sources said the purported fraud, which has cost the taxpayer about Shs25b, has been ongoing for more than two years.
Mr Dennis Musinguzi, the senior land officer; Mr Chris Otim Jaramogi, an accountant; and Mr Noah Wambigi, an auditor; were arrested during a police raid on ULC offices on Tuesday.
Police sources said the trio and others still at large would allegedly register different beneficiaries for the same property, compelling the government to make double payments.
The suspects were yesterday interrogated at Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) headquarters at Kibuli, Kampala. Detectives, who preferred anonymity because they are not allowed to talk to the press, said the suspects often looked out for beneficiaries with more than two names.
“They would re-arrange the names to appear to be a different person, but the location, size and details of the land remained the same. So they paid money to the real owner and other fictitious beneficiaries. This is fraud and criminal,” the source said.
CID spokesperson Charles Twiine said they were looking for more accomplices in the matter.
“It is true that the three suspects have been detained and evidence has been retrieved. I can’t share details right now,” Mr Twiine said yesterday.
During the Tuesday raid on ULC offices, police also seized computers and some documents.
Investigations indicate that some bank accounts are in names different from those due for compensation.
The detectives are now hunting for people who withdrew the money that was sent to different bank accounts by the Uganda Land Commission officials.
In other cases, the suspects are alleged to have paid money to beneficiaries, but the ULC officials would deliberately not transfer the titles of the properties into government names.
Mr Twiine confirmed that some of the land titles were not transferred to government names, which he said is an offence, and that all those titles are subject to their investigation.
Other beneficiaries have been getting payments without any valuation done as per the government compensation standards. Detectives have queried the compensation of some of these properties.
The Auditor General’s Report of 2020 raised accountability queries at Uganda Land Commission.
“The payables balance for land compensation was Shs128b as at June 30, 2020. However, the relevant supporting journals and documents for the liability of Shs9.4b were not availed for review, rendering the genuineness of the liabilities doubtful,” the Auditor General’s Report reads in part.
It adds: “In addition, payables amounting to Shs15b were overstated in relation to the claim balance due to the church.”
The Auditor General also found that the Uganda Land Commission “does not have a land inventory and database for all government land and properties under its jurisdiction that are either occupied by tenants, vacant, acquired under compensation (but not yet re-distributed to the bona fide occupants), or acquired and owned by other government institutions and missions abroad.”
