Uganda Revenue Authority Commissioner General, John Musinguzi Rujoki has accused former employees of trying to manipulate the tax body by tarnishing its public image.
Mr Rujoki says former employees who were fired from URA are planting stories in the media, to depict the tax body as being riddled by corruption.
The CG was this morning responding to recent media reports about Shs2.9 billion which was fraudulently paid out to two ghost informers inside URA.
The former employees are reported to have exploited URA’s informer management and reward policy which extends benefits to whistleblowers whose information leads to the recovery of any duty evasion.
These ended up receiving a total of Shs 2.9billion, having supposedly helped URA to recover Shs32 billion from Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL).
This fraud reportedly took place between 2018 and 2019.
Commenting on the allegations, Mr Rujoki described the media reports as “unfair and manipulative”
He also said these were being “fueled by some wrong elements who have been sacked and are now trying to use their influence to blackmail the institution.
“The fight against corruption is at the heart of URA’s daily operations and is unstoppable. As we serve our country, we are instituting several internal anti-corruption measures to maintain our integrity. In the last three years, 63 staff have lost their jobs and 3 have been prosecuted for corruption-related crimes,” he added.
Rujoki further called on the public to await the IGG’s conclusive report on the ongoing investigations.
“This fraud occurred many years ago, and the current management thoroughly investigated it. Appropriate action was taken, and the implicated officers were sacked.”