BoU confirms loss of billions in recent heist
Bank of Uganda has broken the silence about the heist that saw over shs60 billion stolen by hackers from the country's central bank.
In a statement on Monday, BoU director of communications, Kenneth Egesa confirmed there were two incidents "involving fraudulent activity that resulted in international payments being diverted from their intended beneficiaries.
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“We immediately launched a comprehensive internal investigation to fully understand the complete extent of these incidents, conduct a thorough process review, and identify and implement steps to prevent similar occurrences in the future," Egesa said.
Whereas it was first reported that shs65 billion was lost, it has been said that the amount was less than that.
The State Minister for Finance in charge of general duties, Henry Musasizi told parliament last week that the amount was less than reported.
"Its true our accounts were hacked into but not to the extent of what is being reported. When this happened, we instituted an audit and at the same time an investigation," Musasizi said.
He added that the Auditor General is handling the audit as the Criminal Investigations Directorate handles investigations.
However, in its statement on Monday, BoU avoided mentioning figures of what was stolen during the heist but said it is working closely with CID, Financial Intelligence Authority and the Auditor General to get to the bottom of the problem.
