Parliament’s decision to apportion shs 10 billion to facilitate the legislators in the fight against COVID-19 has taken a new twist.
TrumpetNews has since learnt that a section of legislators has secretly contacted the Attorney General William Byaruhanga to shed more light on the April 30 High Court ruling in which Justice Michael Elubu ordered that MPs return money to the District COVID Taskforce or return money to Parliamentary Commission.
The Attorney General, according to a source explained to lawmakers that the court’s pronouncement was very clear;
“The funds be returned to the Parliamentary Commission pursuant to its letter addressed to the Members of Parliament dated 22nd April 2020; the funds be paid to the district Covid-19 task force in which the members of Parliament are incorporated through the Chief Administrative Officer”
Byaruhanga advised that whoever used the money to procure food for the district or use money to distribute food to the constituents will have to painfully look for the shs 20 million and return it to the Parliamentary Commission or deliver it to the District.
Also, MPs who asked their banks to reverse the payment will do the same by refunding the money in cash.
The Attorney General said that the ruling doesn’t talk about buying food, reversing payment or accountability. The ruling talks about returning money,” said a highly placed government official.
For example, MPs like Peter Mugema alias Panadol of Iganga Municipality who delivered food to the district after spending shs 20 million will have to painfully refund the cash.
Kyadondo East MP Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine who asked his bank to reverse the shs 20 million to Bank of Uganda contravened the Court’s pronouncement and will also look for the same amount and deliver to two venues- the Parliamentary Commission or District Taskforce.
This website has learnt that some of the MPs who reversed the payment will today Friday refund the money in cash to Parliamentary Commission.
But the contention remains on whether MPs who reversed the payment from their banks hadn’t actually made a refund as Court ruled.
The Attorney General’s legal advice has left many lawmakers who misused the money by buying food for the taskforce in shock pondering on coughing the money.
Efforts to reach Byaruhanga for a comment remained futile by press time. The Attorney General said he couldn’t talk.
The development comes high on heels of Parliament’s letter instructing all MPs to return the money which is unused accompanied with with accountability.
Earlier, the President had written to Speaker Rebecca Kadaga warning that by Parliament allocating itself money, MPs had usurped the powers of the Executive. He therefore, instructed the Auditor General John Muwanga to conduct an audit on all legislators and present his findings in one month.
President Museveni had castigated MPs for awarding themselves shs 10 billion at a time Ugandans remain are starving. Museveni called them greedy and wondered if they had turned into purchase officers to procure food for their voters.
His remarks sparked off rage with the Speaker and her commissioners threatening to expose secret budgets Parliament has been passing for the Executive.
But the public perceived the threats as blackmail.