Three Security Officers Arrested in Shs36m Corruption Scandal at Ugandan-Congolese Border.

Three security officers stationed at the Vurra customs border point in Arua, which connects Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have been caught in a corruption scandal involving a Congolese gold dealer.

The officers, identified as Francis Odongo (an External Security Organisation operative), James Opolot (a crime intelligence officer), and Felix Ezangu (a border internal security officer), allegedly solicited a bribe of Shs36million from the dealer but could not come to an agreement on how to split the money, leading to their exposure.

According to initial reports, the three accused officers are believed to have helped an unidentified Congolese gold dealer bypass URA protocols at the border on March 24. It is alleged that they intercepted the dealer before he could cross the border, demanded a bribe of $10,000, and even provided him with security as he traveled to Arua city to sell the gold. An anonymous security official claimed that the officers shared the bribe they received from the dealer on March 25 at a hotel near the Vurra customs border post called Devine Touch.

According to the Arua Resident District Commissioner, Godfrey Okiswa, the corruption scandal involving the three officers was exposed when they had a disagreement on how to divide the money they had received from the Congolese gold dealer. Okiwsa stated, "We were not aware of the corrupt activities of the officers until the time when there was a commotion over the sharing of the money, which suggested that they may have been compromised", Okiwsa stated.