The prime minister of Uganda has denied any knowledge of the alleged fraud of €4 million of Irish Aid funding in his office.
Patrick Amama Mbabazi apologised and said he understands the anger of the Irish Government over the misappropriation of funds but insisted he did not receive any of it.
The prime minister has ordered a criminal investigation into 14 officials said to be implicated in the scandal, including the principal accountant who has been arrested.
Mr Mbabazi said he expects there will be prosecutions over the transfer of aid money to the unauthorised accounts.
“It is true some of the payments were made to private accounts of some officials of the ministry in the office of the prime minister,” Mr Mbabazi told RTE radio.
“But let me say this: I didn’t know. No money was ever paid to me and I never handled money. As prime minister, I don’t handle money of government at all, ever.
“And even money that was paid to private accounts, some was fraudulently paid to private accounts. But some, it’s not the case they stole the money, they used it for the purpose for which it was intended, although it was irregularly managed.”
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore suspended all financial assistance channelled through the office of prime minister after it emerged that a total of €12 million funding from four aid countries was moved to unauthorised accounts.
Three officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs are in the capital Kampala to investigate whereabouts of the cash, earmarked for education, policing and tackling HIV and Aids in the poorest regions left suffering after years of conflict.
The Government, through Irish Aid, was due to pledge €17 million euro this year state but is withholding 16 million euro still due, pending the investigation. NGOs will received another €15 million.
Mr Mbabazi said he never became suspicious of the activities of officials who are accused of carrying out the fraud from the basement of his office building.
He maintained that as prime minister he is only involved in policy, while the management of public funds are in the hands of public officials.
Mr Mbabazi, who will hold crisis talks tomorrow with the Irish ambassador in Uganda, Anne Webster, also raised concerns over Uganda’s strength in tackling corruption.
“The greatest weakness we have is the capacity to investigate. And we will be telling our friends, development partners and other friends, that the greatest help we need in the fight against corruption in Uganda today is to build that capacity to investigate,” he said.
“Corruption is not only in public office, corruption is in every place.”
Elsewhere the prime minister defended Uganda’s spending on military, which he claimed is just 8 per cent of its total budget and less than what is spent on health and half of what is paid out on education.
“Of course we need to spend on defence,” said Mr Mbabazi, adding that it helped them reach areas that need support.
PA