A Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) manager has been arrested after allegedly taking a USD60,000 (about Shs207 million) bribe to stop a tax audit on a Kampala-based company.
Geoffrey Ssozi, the Manager of External Operations in the Customs Department, was arrested last Thursday after he was allegedly caught receiving the money from a taxpayer at a Kampala restaurant.
According to URA, Ssozi allegedly approached the taxpayer through a clearing agent and offered to have an ongoing audit stopped in exchange for money.
URA Assistant Commissioner for Public and Corporate Affairs Robert Kalumba said the authority acted on information provided by a whistleblower before launching an investigation into the alleged scheme.
“There was an audit that was being done on the taxpayer and this team got in touch with the taxpayer, with the help of the clearing agent and tried to convince them that they can help the taxpayer cut out that audit,” Kalumba said.
Kalumba said investigations established that Ssozi had initially demanded USD100,000 (about Shs345 million), but the amount was later negotiated down to USD60,000.
The clearing agent allegedly involved in the transaction was also arrested and is assisting investigators as URA works to establish whether other officials or individuals were involved.
URA Commissioner General John R. Musinguzi said the arrests demonstrate the authority’s renewed efforts to tackle corruption and prevent revenue leakage.
“The fight against corruption is intensifying in URA and we continue to uphold a zero-tolerance policy to it. We call upon the general public to report all incidents of corruption as we fight to close all gaps of revenue leakage from these avenues,” Musinguzi said.
URA said its legal team is preparing the case file for prosecution, while the money recovered during the operation will be presented in court as an exhibit.
The case adds to the pressure on tax officials to maintain integrity in the administration and enforcement of Uganda’s tax laws.
