Shs300 Million Bribe, Tax Fraud and Luxury Rolls-Royce! Shocking Details Emerge as URA Fires Top Officials

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reports that the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has dismissed two senior officials, former Commissioner for Customs Asadu Kisitu Kigozi and Assistant Commissioner for Integrity, Compliance and Ethics James Abola, after internal disciplinary proceedings tied to allegations of corruption, bribery, tax fraud and abuse of office. The reported action followed a URA board meeting on November 4, according to the article, and was said to be carried out under the authority’s disciplinary guidelines.

The article says Kigozi faced multiple accusations, including allegedly directing the clearance of a Rolls-Royce Cullinan valued at about Shs3.4 billion without proper customs procedures, valuation and tax payment. It also says he was accused of concealing compliance information in a case involving Master Grain Volunteer Limited, soliciting a Shs300 million bribe from a clearing agent, and receiving an additional Shs5 million in a later incident. The report further alleges that he enabled inconsistent tax treatment for similar products, which may have affected competition and state revenue.

A separate set of allegations was reported against Abola, who was said to have mishandled investigations into Pre-Registration Number fraud. The article states that he was accused of failing to properly pursue an earlier case and later altering findings in a re-investigation despite not being assigned to that team.

URA is presented as using the dismissals to reinforce internal accountability and anti-corruption efforts. As a general matter, tax agencies often treat such cases as significant because they can affect public revenue, enforcement credibility and confidence in fair treatment of taxpayers.