Political leaders listed in the second schedule of the Leadership Code Act will start leaving office immediately investigations related to the offences of corruption or embezzlement commence against them.
This proposal is contained in a draft amendment Bill, The Anti Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2012. The bill, to be moved by Makindye East MP John Ssimbwa as a private members bill, seeks to introduce a new provision spelling out the enforcement of the confiscating procedures accrued from the offence of corruption.
It will also seek to empower court to continue with proceedings against a dead person charged with corruption. In this case the relatives or beneficiaries of the estate of the deceased defendant will be the ones in court.
The Bill also provides procedures of applying for restraining and charging orders to ensure that a person under investigation for such offences is stopped from disposing property that he/she owns or controls until the case is concluded in order to recover the benefits accrued or the loss incurred.
Civil Society Organisations want the office of the IGG to make public all wealth declarations by public servants. The move if included in the bill will enable whistle blowers to come up with information.
But Cissy Kagaba, the Executive Director Anti Corruption Coalition Uganda, is skeptical of the proposed bill. She says although the Bill is timely, the country has enough laws to have such proposals worked on, but there is lack of political will. She advised that the bill should be in conformity with the rules of natural justice and other existing laws.
According to MP Ssimbwa, the drive behind the initiative is that the levels of graft in the country have gone out of hand to the point that some public officials are out-competing one another in corruption.
Government has lost a lot of money through corruption while the implicated officials illicitly acquire assets. According to the World Bank annual statistics, Uganda loses at least 500 billion shillings every year through corruption.
