KAMPALA – A former senior official at Bank of Uganda (BoU) has been arrested after CCTV footage found him stealing old currency from the central bank.
The spokesperson of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Crime Intelligence (CID), Charles Twine, said Charles Ocheng Kasedde, who was the head of treasury at BoU’s currency centre in Mbale, was detained as he is suspected to have been involved in the disappearance of notes due for disposal.
According to Twine, detectives examined CCTV footage, which showed Kasedde carrying loads of old currency, which is always meant to be destroyed.
Over Shs400 million meant to be discarded has been lost through such schemes, officials say.
Investigators are also looking into wealth obtained by Charles Ocheng while at the bank. His case file is already at the Directorate of Public Prosecution for scrutiny.
The CID spokesman says more officials have been put on the spotlight, with detectives focusing on abuse of office, theft, embezzlement, financial loss among other cases.
This comes nearly a year after BoU officials were arrested and charged after newly printed currency was flown from Europe into the country alongside other cargo.
A two-week-long investigation by this website last year revealed how crafty BoU officials took advantage of a lax supervisory regime to steal off, for themselves and possibly for their bosses too, large sums of money.
Under normal circumstances, used currency notes that re-enter a currency centre are first reprocessed in tightly managed counting/machine rooms by note examiners who then sort it into good and bad money. Good money is strapped and labelled and put back into the system, while old and defaced notes are counted, recorded and holes punched into the notes and put aside for destruction.