Bagarukayo Faces Arrest Over Sh5 Billion For LCs’ Bicycles

The Mouthpiece — 24 September 2011

Finally, the public service and local governments’ committee has identified one of the responsible individuals who caused government a loss of over 1.7m USD meant for the purchase of over 70,000 bicycles for village and parish councilors and chairmen.

The committee chaired by the vice chairperson, Hon Magyezi Raphael, issued a warrant of arrest for one Patrick Bagarukayo also known as Bernard who withdrew 390,000 USD in just two consecutive days.

Stanbic Bank represented by its head of legal Gertrude Wamala Karugaba revealed this withdrawal made by Bagarukayo who is still a mystery yet he is neither share holder in the company nor responsible for the bicycles deal.

Meanwhile, Stanbic bank cleared its image when it stressed that its only responsibility was to advice its client and ensure that the documents received are authentic.

Members of parliament are stunned by the fact that all that amount of money moved in just a few hands at the expense of Uganda’s tax payers’ money.

They have insisted that Bagarukayo appears before them and reveal the whole lineage of others on wanted list.

The vice chairperson of the committee has instructed Bank of Uganda and Stanbic Bank to freeze all the accounts of AITEL company not to allow any further withdrawals.

Hon Magyezi has also issued a warrant of arrest to search for Bagarukayo wherever he maybe hiding to either return the money they feasted on, bring the bicycles or faces arrest and be charged of embezzlement.

The committee has also bitterly moved ahead to hand over one of Stanbic bank’s staff Allan Atuhirwe, a branch manager of Stanbic garden city to CID to investigate his questionable relationship with the Bagarukayo clique.

Members of this committee probing this mysterious saga have vowed to search for one Raja Kasharan who is said to be currently in India to account for the same.

According to reports, Raja Kasharan withdrew 20,000 USD for his personal upkeep, he paid AMANI IMPEX INDIA a profit share of 85,000 USD and 1,000 USD to other companies in HongKong which were not involved in any way of this deal.

Investigations are also underway to find out more about the allegedly 8,500 bicycles in Mombasa as it was revealed by Mohinder Singh Chai when he appeared before this very committee.

NBS