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MPs pin city businessman Drake Lubega over perjury
Businessman Drake Lubega
What you need to know:
- Lubega, who appeared with two lawyers, Adam Kirumira and Wycliffe Drake, explained that NEMA had only asked the company to demolish permanent structures he had built on the 40-hectare piece of land.
- At some point, Lubega visibly got angry, after the legislators including Simon Oyet and Thomas Tayebwa warned him of arrest for lying before the committee.
A city businessman was forced to take oath after he made contradicting statements during a parliamentary committee sitting.
Drake Lubega, who owns Tesco Industries Limited, appeared before the Natural Resources committee on Wednesday to respond to investigations by the MPs that his company has been illegally mining sand in Lwera wetland in Mpigi district.
The committee learnt during its interaction with National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) on Tuesday that a permit it issued to Tesco Industries in 2015 was cancelled after the company was found to have flouted environmental guidelines.
Lubega, who appeared with two lawyers, Adam Kirumira and Wycliffe Drake, explained that NEMA had only asked the company to demolish permanent structures he had built on the 40-hectare piece of land.
He stated that he has never received a letter from NEMA cancelling his permit to excavate sand and insisted that he was setting up a fish farming project on his land.
Unconvinced by his explanation, legislators reminded him that NEMA's letter to his company showed that they had received it. After making a phone call to NEMA Executive Director, Dr. Tom Okurut, who confirmed sending the letter to Tesco, Lubega was asked to take oath.
Shortly after, he was questioned again on whether he had received the permit cancellation notice, to which he responded that he could not remember.
At some point, Lubega visibly got angry, after the legislators including Simon Oyet and Thomas Tayebwa warned him of arrest for lying before the committee.
The committee directed Lubega to go to NEMA to get official communication regarding his sand mining permit, as well as acquire a fish farming permit and aquaculture certificate to start his fish farming project on the same land.
