Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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In October 2012, all Irish development assistance due to be channelled through Government of Uganda systems was suspended, following the discovery of fraud in the Office of the Prime Minister. Since then the Government of Uganda has refunded in full the €4 million of Irish Aid funds which were misappropriated.

Ireland continues to press the Government of Uganda for concerted action following the fraud. To date, 26 Government officials and 31 private firms are being investigated, 6 Government officials are facing trial and 1 conviction has been secured. In total, the Ugandan Director of Public Prosecutions has opened over 100 case files which are being followed closely by our Embassy in Kampala. In addition, the Office of the Auditor General of Uganda has been conducting follow-on inquiries and audits, with the support of our Embassy in Kampala. While I was in Kampala in December I had a very positive meeting with the Auditor General and his key staff and he outlined clearly his determination to address issues of fraud and corruption in the public domain.

Ireland’s 2014 country programme in Uganda, which focuses on education, HIV and AIDS, gender-based violence, governance and livelihoods, is built around supporting projects and programmes which operate through trusted non-government systems. In addition, we are continuing to provide direct support to the Office of the Auditor General which uncovered the original fraud at the Office of the Prime Minister.

We continue to ensure that strong financial oversight of the aid programme is in place in order that the valuable contribution made by Ireland towards improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable people is maintained, while at the same time providing strong assurance and accountability to the Irish taxpayer.