By John Ogulei & Robert Edwomu
Soroti—9, August 2021: The Finance Trust Bank officials for Soroti branch and the district Commercial Officer are on spot over alleged connivance with a suspected fraudster that swindled over shs55million from three Emyooga savings groups.
The officials are yet to explain circumstances under which one individual manipulated his ways through; stealing the groups’ savings.
Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in 2019 launched the poverty alleviation program dubbed “Emyooga”. The program is expected to transform 68% households from subsistence farming to market oriented. Government has allocated 260 billion shillings for the entire program.
The program is meant to benefit 18 categories of people, namely: Boda-bodas, drivers, saloon operators, farmers, artists, journalists, local leaders, among others.
In Soroti, three groups in Gweri county Soroti district are in “a dilemma” after a fraudster identified as Moses Okiring Ebaku allegedly connived with the bank officials and the district Commercial Officer to steal their money totaling to over shillings shs55million.
The affected groups are; Gweri County Women Entrepreneurs, Gweri Boda-Boda Operators and Gweri Taxi Savings and Credit Cooperative Society.
James Peter Omiat is the Chairperson Gweri County Women Entrepreneurs SACCO. He narrates the group made the first withdrawal of shs12.3 million without any problem and on 12 July this year when they went back to make another transaction, “we were shocked when the bank told us that ‘they’ had withdrawn an extra shs.7.4 million.”
He says the bank’s reply prompted them to ask for the bank statement and video footage to find out the persons that withdrew the money on that date.
He also says after reviewing the footage, the bank admitted and refunded back the shs7.4million to the SACCO account.
He further notes that the suspect also parted with shs4.1million that the group entrusted him with to deposit to the savings account.
“The suspect purported to be well versed with the bank procedures and, at one point, took part in training the groups together with the bank officials,” he told our reporters.
The suspect, Okiring, is not a signatory to the savings group or a member, according to Omiat.
Lazarus Engeu, the chairperson Boda-Boda Operators SACCO says the group members are holding them for losing sha17.5million which was withdrawn on 4 July 2021.
Engeu reveals that the suspect before allegedly conniving with the bank and the Soroti DCO dubbed all group members of the Boda Boda Association.
“He us to photocopy 10 copies each of our National Identity Cards and sign,” Engeu adds.
Swaibu Yoweri, the treasurer of the Boda-Boda SACCO, also says it was on the 04 July 2021 when he got information through sms alert that they had withdrawn the money from the account without his signature.
On that day, while at Finance Trust Bank, Okiror together with the bank’s staff connived to withdraw money in the account belonging to Gweri County Women Entrepreneurs, SACCO worth shs7.4million. They used a forged scanned copy of the recommendation letter from Soroti District Commercial Officer, which the bank failed to detect.
The suspected fraudster who is the secretary of Gweri Boda-Boda Association with authorization of the bank also withdrew money worth shs17.5million from the bank after he falsely forged signature of the treasurer.
The Emyooga policy states that before any group accesses money from the bank, there must be a recommendation letter from the district Commercial Officer (DCO) which letter is presented to the bank to enable cash withdrawal.
Joy Christine Apolot, the Soroti Acting DCO when reached for a comment to find out whether she authorized a letter to the effect, instead, referred our reporters to the Resident District Commissioner Soroti, whom she claims is an official spokesperson for Emyooga program.
The Soroti District Resident Commissioner Patrick Okumu said: “It is too sad that there was loss and stealing of Emyooga money under unclear circumstances.”
Okumu also confirms that the bank management paid back shs7.4million to Gweri Women Entrepreneur SACCO account.
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The suspected fraudster Moses Okiring Ebaku is a resident of Abelet village, Onyamai parish, Gweri sub-county in Soroti district. He withdrew money from three bank accounts on different days.
The evidence seen also shows that the suspect withdrew a total of shs28million from Gweri Taxi Operators Savings and Credit Cooperative Society after the bank was duped to believe that the group had agreed to the change of signatories to the bank account.
By records, money was withdrawn on 14th, 14th, 15th, 17th; 21 and 29th May 2021 respectively worth shs35, 800,000; shs28million of that amount ended up in Okirings’ pocket.
But how, why did this happened at the bank people trust for the safety of their money?
Isaac Isanga is the Finance Trust Manager Soroti Branch. When contacted for a comment and before referring our reporters to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Bank, admitted to the mess; fraud of shs7.4 million and revealed that the bank deposited the said money back to Gweri Women Entrepreneurs SACCO account.
The manager also alleged that the suspected fraudster obtained a recommendation letter from the Commercial Officer which they based on disbursing the funds to various Emyooga groups.
But Francis Elwoku, whom we were referred to as the bank’s PRO, said he was not authorized to comment until he gets permission from his superior.
He also promised to forward a contact of his boss who would speak about the position of the bank. By press, they had complied.
At the Criminal Investigative Department, Soroti Central Police Station, three General Inquiry files into the suspected loss of Emyooga funds in the bank have been opened.
GIF/16/2021(Women Entrepreneur SACCO), GIF/23/2021 (Boda-Boda Operators) and GIF/24/2021 (Taxi Operators), respectively.
Last week, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among suspended the House sittings for seven days starting Monday this week to allow Legislators to investigate the implementation of the Emyooga programme, an initiative to eradicate poverty in the country.
Tom Julius Ekudo, the Member of Parliament for Gweri County, vows to take an action against Okiring, who he has termed as “anti-development”.
He says that the government can’t inject over shs56 million in Gweri and it does nothing.
The MP confirms that part of the reason they are on recess is to find out the progress of Emyooga and certainly establish how to implement the government’s new parish model program.
Meanwhile, there has been an aspect of intimidation and life threatening on our team of journalists on this story.
More on the fraudulent dealings to follow:
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