Cosase, a parliament Committee on Commissions, statutory Authorities and State Enterprises on Tuesday handed over a city lawyer, Patrick Kiconco Katabzi over unexplained expenditure of shs 39b. Parliament says submissions made by Katabazi contradicted complainant’s presentations.

Kiconco was handed over to the parliament police unit to record a statement after failing to appear before committee on Thursday, being summoned in order to respond to claims his firm had received from National Agricultural Advisory Services(Naads) over arrears owed to tea farmers.

When city lawyer at Pathways Advocates appeared on Tuesday, the committee could not related his testimony with that of the farmers who said they did not get their full payments.

” I will use the powers that we have as a committee compelling the production of the documents . For that matter, I am going to ask Katabazi, together with all the witnesses who came here, to go to the CID to make statements because we are getting information that interest us as a committee”,  Akello Lucy- Vice Chairperson Cosase.

When Katabazi appeared before the parliament committee he said, “the plaintiffs and beneficiaries they represent have received money and are appreciative of our services and support- from these payment, we have been able to resolve problems relating to simple mistakes in, computing, recording of account numbers and date, we do not have any complaints from plaintiffs, regarding the exercise”.

Cosase expects a report from the CID which they say will inform their recommendations and way forward. The shs39b came to the spotlight when Cosase opened interrogations on queries contained in the Auditor General Report that Naads spent shs7b without a budget in the Financial Year 2021/2022.

Courtesy photo.