By Sania Babirye
An Indian Family has dragged the minister of Lands Betty Amongi to the Land probe commission accusing her of using her position as minister to steal their Family property valued at 5 billion shillings in Kampala that belonged to their departed parents.
While appearing before the seven member team chaired by justice Catherine Bamugemeire, a one Tashak Partel testified that before the expulsion of Indian nationals, his grand parents were the registered proprietors of plot 29 on Acacia avenue which was later entrusted to the Departed Asian custodian board .
Partel explained that in 1995 his family returned back to Uganda an upon return, his mother Mandakini Manubai Partel re-possessed the said property in which she appointed him as the care taker of the said property.
He says that as a care taker,he rented the property out to a telecom company -Midcom Ltd but in December 2017, he received a letter from a company called AMOBET investments Ltd asking his Asian family to vacate the property because it was a government property since it had never been repossessed.
He adds that in top of that on the 15th of February this year, minister Amongi using the Ministry's letter head wrote to his lawyers of Bitangaro and company advocates summoning him to appear at the headquarters of the Ministry of land Headquarters to be grilled on allegations that there were forged documents including a land tittle and a certificate of re-possession of the property.
Partel has further revealed that he instructed his lawyer to ascertain the legality and ownership of AMOBET company in the registrar of companies and they later discovered that minister Amongi owns 66% of AMOBET company while a one Cate Odongo owns the remaining 44%.
He has now told the land probe commission that the minister is using her influence to steal their property.
The allegations comes after the minister failed to appear before the commission ladt week to explain the alleged corruption in the land fund in which senior citizens including John Nagenda informed the commission that conmen are being compensated by the land fund instead of the rightful beneficiaries including him for their land given to government.
However Justice Catherine Bamugemeire insisted that the minister will be re-summoned to appear in person to explain the corruption allegations.