By Our Reporters.
In 1966 Ugandan President Apollo Milton Obote and Army Commander Col Idi Amin Dada were implicated in gold and ivory plundering in Democatic Republic of Congo that was under President Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku wa Zabanga. Ugandan Parliament was put on test when legislators called for Colonel Idi Amin Dada’s suspension after it was discovered he had deposited Shs340,000 (about Shs89m current value) unaccounted for on his personal bank account in February 1965. The MPs also implicated Prime Minister Apollo Milton Obote and two of his ministers
On February 27, 1966, a few weeks after the motion implicating ministers as accomplices in the alleged looting of gold, was debated in Parliament, then Internal Affairs Minister Basil Kiiza Bataringaya issued Legal Notice No.1 of 1966.
This came following Kabaka Yekka Member of Parliament for Mityana Hon Daudi Ochieng’s February 4, 1966 Bill in parliament seeking to set up a commision of inquiry to investigate officials namesd in gold scandal. A commission of inquiry was set up to probe whether Col Idi Amin and Prime Minister Apollo Milton Obote plus Ministers Felix Onama and Adoko Nekyon received gold, ivory, coffee and money from DR Congo.
Ivory
Idi Amin’s name featured prominently in two ivory incidences. In 1964, a heap of ivory suspected to have come from DR Congo was cited at Vurra customs post.
The commission’s report found nothing linking the ivory to Idi Amin and the towering soldier was exonerated. “There was nothing to connect the recovered ivory with Col Amin.” said the report.
Money
Uganda President Milton Obote assigned Army Commander Idi Amin to fight Congolese rebels led by Moise Tshombe. It was reported that in early 1964, Congolese rebels used to purchase commodities from Uganda. One time in November 1964 Congolese wanted to buy a jeep. But after failing to secure one they left Shs10,000 with Idi Amin as deposit for the Jeep in case he found one.
On the allegations that Amin and other government officials received money from Congo, the commission concluded it was untrue, baseless and unfounded.
Gold
It was alleged that Prime Minister Milton Obote and his two ministers benefited from the alleged gold loot, the commission found no substantial evidence to implicate them in gold, ivory, coffee and the money as alleged.
The Commission of Inquiry conclusively summed up their findings and cleared those implicated. The allegations against Prime Minister, Minister Felix Onama, and Adoko Nekyon on gold, ivory, money and other property from the Congo, were found to be unfounded with no evidence.
“Col Idi Amin received approximately Shs480,000 from the Congolese revolutionaries for which he has duly accounted for.” said the commission.
The commission said it satisfied that if there was any looting by Uganda troops from the Congo in the course of the military operations, there was no evidence to implicate Col Idi Amin.
The Commission stated that Mr “Ocheng who testified admitted that apart from Col Amin’s bank statement, as the only concrete evidence in his possession, he had nothing else to support the allegations.
The commission heard that a one Stephanus Martinus Venter, then Manager at Commercial Bank of Africa Limited, was contacted by a broker acting on behalf of Col Amin and government of Uganda.
It was alleged that Mr Obote himself wanted Venter to urgently find a buyer of the gold in Switzerland.
But the Commission found Venter’s evidence full of inconsistencies, fabrications and was dismissed■
