By our reporter

MPs seating on parliamentary committee of public Accounts yesterday grilled the former deputy director banking in Bank of Uganda who was suspended over suspected involvement in the Office of the Prime Minister scandal.

Milton Opio was also accused of overlooking the permanent secretary in the prime minister’s office, Pius Bigirimana and worked closely with the former principal accountant Geoffrey Kazinda causing a financial loss of 38.2 billion shillings.

This was after Mr Milton Opio confessed before the committee that he used to authorize payment to OPM for different projects after confirmation from Kazinda and leaving out the principal signatory in the office Puis Bigirimana.

The MPs who included Paul Mwiru, Jacob Opolot, Maxwell Akora, Emma Boona and Henry Musasizi asked Opio to explain why he did not always verify the signatures of the permanent secretary  before relying on the documents used to put before him by Geoffrey Kazinda.

Mr Opio told the committee chaired by Jinja East MP Paul Mwiru that Bigirimana was always busy and that is why he used Kazinda  in the transactions of the OPM.

Hon Mwiru added that there could have been  connivance or negligence on behalf of Opio to steal the money.