The Inspector General of Government Justice Irene Mulyagonja has denied being friends Justine Bagyenda, the former Executive Director-Supervision at the Bank of Uganda.
This is after reports claimed that the IGG’s office is slow in investigating Bagyenda’s alleged illicit wealth because Justice Mulyagonja is a tight friend of the former ‘iron lady’ at BoU.
In a media interview on Thursday, Mulyagonja welcomed any other authority to investigate Bagyenda if her credibility is being questioned.
“If there’s another authority that can verify her income and assets, we welcome it and we shall gladly handover the declarations so that authority handles the verification so that the public stops accusing me of being friends with this woman who I just encountered because she is the Director Bank Supervision in public functions where public servants meet,” Mulyagonja said.
She added: “I don’t know where they trace me being friends with Bagyenda; I don’t know whether it is from school or family, but as far as I know and as far as I can recall, I came to know Bagyenda as Director Bank Supervision about two years ago. Before that I did not know this woman.”
She revealed that Bagyenda’s investigation isn’t a matter of Crane bank.
“As far as we are concerned this is a public official who is alleged to have acquired assets illegally …we draw recourse on the leadership code of conduct which empowers us to verify income, assets and liabilities and to carry out investigations under the Anti-Corruption Act where it is alleged that there’s illicit acquisition of assets,” she said.
She noted that the general public should forgive her office if they are slow in investigating Bagyenda because they are constrained-human resource wise and financially. She revealed that when investigations of Bagyenda’s nature come up, they have to “look for resources to go on ground and carry out verification.”
After investigations, Mulyagonja said a report will be given to Bank of Uganda not the public or the press and if there’s need for prosecution, she will be taken to court.
She said her office has done verification for many accounting officers of almost all government agencies.
On President Yoweri Museveni’s remarks that her office has literally done nothing, Mulyagonja said: “I have no idea why he (Museveni) made that statement during the State of the Nation Address. Every year, we have targets to achieve with Government and reach them. Every six months, we make a report and it’s presented to Parliament of Uganda’s Speaker and the President.”
