Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am deeply concerned about the recent misappropriation of Irish development funding in Uganda. Ireland has no tolerance for fraud or any other form of financial irregularity in our development co-operation programme. This is clearly known to all of our development partners, including the Government of Uganda. I have suspended approximately €16 million of Irish development assistance which was due to be channelled through Government of Uganda systems in 2012 and initiated an immediate investigation into the misappropriation of funds by individuals in the office of the Prime Minister of Uganda. This investigation has been undertaken by a team from the evaluation and audit unit of my Department which travelled to Uganda as soon as the findings of the Auditor General of Uganda were made public. The team’s report will be presented to me shortly and I will closely examine it and give due consideration to any recommendation made. I will release the report when it is finalised.

In addition to the team from my Department’s audit and evaluation unit, the director general of Irish Aid also travelled to Uganda. Together with our ambassador in Kampala, he met the Prime Minister, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Finance and Economic Development of Uganda to underline my deep concerns and insist on the misappropriated funds being restored by the Ugandan authorities. As a direct result of this intervention, the Ugandan Government has since confirmed that all Irish Aid misappropriated funds will be reimbursed; that the officials against whom financial impropriety has been established will be fully prosecuted; and that measures will be undertaken to tighten their internal controls. I welcome this commitment and have directed our ambassador to work with the Ugandan authorities to ensure the misappropriated funds are restored.

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