Ten newly elected Members of Parliament have been separately interrogated by electoral and political investigators on allegations of voter bribery, altering results on declaration forms and forgery of academic papers.
A month ago, reports emerged that voters and political rivals had lodged complaints against 21 newly elected MPs from 11 districts. Some of the MPs-elect who have been dragged to court over alleged forged academic papers include Muhammad Ssegirinya of Kawempe North, Paul Nsubuga of Busiro North and Aloysius Matovu of Lubaga South.
The electoral and political offences desk headed by Henry Mugumya, tasked a special team to investigate the allegations. But, a detective at Criminal Investigations Directorate –CID has revealed that 10 out of 21 MPs have since been questioned while others have become elusive, tactically avoiding the detectives who were sent to their respective constituencies to obtain statements from them.
“Only 10 MPs have obliged and recorded statements in response to allegations of altering DR forms, voter bribery, and forged academic papers. Some are still dodging but that does not stop us from prosecuting them,” a detective said.
Districts and constituencies whose newly voted legislators are being questioned include Kween, Wakiso, Namayingo, Namisindwa, Kikuube, Mityana and others in West Nile. Additional queries have also been submitted against those who contested for municipal leadership positions, according to CID spokesperson, Charles Twiine.
Twine said some of the complainants are seeking to nullify the victory of successful candidates. But CID has urged them to present the matters before the courts because their emphasis is on forgery and uttering false documents.
It is reported that more than 200 DR forms for the various electoral process are being examined by the Directorate of Forensic Science-DFS based at Naguru police headquarters. The forgery investigators are expected to handover a report to CID soon. URN