A former commissioner in the ministry of energy has defended his share of the Shs 6 billion presidential bonus, saying he played an “extraordinary” role in testifying against Heritage Oil and Gas in an international tax arbitration case in London.
Now executive director of the Petroleum Authority Ernest Rubondo was the commissioner for Petroleum Exploration and Production at the height of the arbitration hearing.
On Friday, he told MPs on parliament’s committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) that he was one of the two factual witnesses who appeared before the arbitration hearing in London.
His other role was to prepare information and relevant facts on the oil sector for the international lawyers representing government in London; a job he said he performed diligently, day and night.
Heritage dragged government to the international arbitration tribunal to challenge Uganda Revenue Authority (URA)’s decision to slap a $434 million capital gains tax on the company, after it sold its 50 per cent stake to Tullow Oil. Uganda won the case and President Museveni gave 42 public servants a Shs 6bn bonus, the legality and regularity of which MPs are investigating.
Rubondo’s role was to identify relevant facts on the oil sector in the ministry archives, and compiling crucial information to be used in London, where he travelled four times for preparations and final appearance in court.
“The aspect of identifying relevant facts is a process. We had worked day and night to identify what were the relevant facts that would help this case…We did have an extra duty of digging out all the information we thought was relevant and enable the lawyers to receive facts on the table…also the aspect of being paraded in the court was extraordinary,” Rubondo said.
However MPs, including committee chairman Abdu Katuntu, were not persuaded.
“Many of your officers in the ministry have been in court over other issues; so, there is nothing so special about appearing in court as a witness. Actually that is what you are supposed to do in case there is a dispute,” Katuntu said.
All this time, energy minister, Irene Muloni, who led the team, looked on, occasionally laughing at some of her officers’ responses. On other occasions, she frowned when they failed to answer questions. Muloni told the committee she had a role to play but declined to divulge any further details.
The committee was treated to drama when Rubondo could not recollect how much money he received as part of the presidential handshake bonus. He first mentioned about Shs 100 million, Shs 105 million and finally Shs 123 million.
“Honourable chairman, I usually focus on my work, not on the money. But I think it was Shs 123 million. But if you give me time, I can add on the other dots,” Rubondo stated.
As commissioner, Rubondo used to earn Shs 1.6 million a month. To show how crucial his role was, Rubondo outlined the security risk his involvement in the case was to his life and health, that the ministry was forced to deploy extra security personel.
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