While appearing before the sub-committee chaired by Mr Ibrahim Kasozi
(Makindye East, FDC) on Friday, Mr Patel was put on oath after the MPs
expressed misgivings with his responses over his involvement in
expropriated properties, especially in Mbale Town. File photo
Tanzanian-Asian
Mr Paramal Patel, who claims to manage more than 60 properties of
departed Asians in eastern Uganda, has been barred from travelling out
of Uganda by a select sub-committee of Parliament.
Mr
Patel will only regain his rights to travel abroad after the select
sub-committee of the parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory
Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) concludes inquiries into his
ownership of the properties.
While appearing before the
sub-committee chaired by Mr Ibrahim Kasozi (Makindye East, FDC) on
Friday, Mr Patel was put on oath after the MPs expressed misgivings with
his responses over his involvement in expropriated properties,
especially in Mbale Town.
Mr Patel is one of private
individuals being investigated over dubious acquisition of properties,
mostly buildings, that should have reverted to the government after
their former owners were either compensated by the Idi Amin regime in
1976 or they never returned to repossess them by 1993.
Mr
Patel, who is waving powers of attorney that he claims were issued to
him by owners who never returned, told the MPs that his only involvement
was to repossess on their behalf, manage, collect rent and remit the
money to Canada and United Kingdom.
“I have powers of
attorney to manage the properties and I collect rent. My work is to
remit the money to the owners wherever they are,” Mr Patel explained.
But the MPs tasked him to produce evidence of remittances from the rent
he collects from the more than 60 properties in the Elgon Sub-region and
filed tax returns on those incomes. Mr Patel had no answers to these
queries.
Mr Patel, who has been managing properties that belonged to
Budaka Ginners, a company run by Asians before their expulsion in 1972,
was deemed not convincing in his explanation, something that led to his
detention.
He also failed to avail the committee with a
company resolution by the directors of Budaka Ginners, which granted
him powers to manage their properties.
“We have decided
to hand Mr Patel to our CIDs (Crime Intelligence and Crime
Investigations officers) of Parliament to record a statement so that
police retrieve all evidence concerning the properties he has been
owning illegally,” Mr Kasozi said.
“We have also
ordered Mr Patel to deposit his passport with the committee so that he
is not able to leave the country until we are done with these
investigations. Some people who have issues in this country have been
running away,” he added.
The Departed Asians
Properties’ Custodian Board (DAPCB) executive Secretary, Mr George
William Bizibu, invited all people who bought departed Asian properties
from individuals other than the real owners to visit his office for
verification of the information on the documents to avoid losing them if
they were repossessed fraudulently.
mkthembo@ug.nationmedia.com
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