Geoffrey Ssozi, the URA Manager for External Operations in the Customs Department, is behind bars after reportedly being caught red-handed receiving a $60,000 (about Shs220 million) bribe at a restaurant in Kampala .
Ssozi was apprehended last Thursday by detectives from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) internal investigative wing following a sting operation. URA officials allege that Ssozi solicited the money from an investor to suppress an ongoing tax audit into the taxpayer’s firm.
Speaking at the URA headquarters in Nakawa on Monday , Assistant Commissioner for Public and Corporate Affairs Robert Kalumba confirmed the arrest, explaining that Ssozi had initially demanded $100,000 before negotiating the sum down to $60,000.
“There was an audit being conducted on the taxpayer. Ssozi’s team, with the assistance of a clearing agent, reached out to convince the taxpayer that they could kill the audit,” Kalumba told reporters.
Kalumba disclosed that URA acted on a tip-off from a whistleblower. The clearing agent involved in brokering the transaction was also taken into custody and is assisting investigators in identifying other accomplices within the tax body. URA’s legal team is finalizing charges, and the cash seized during the bust will be presented in court as exhibit evidence.
Commenting on the arrest, URA Commissioner General John R. Musinguzi reiterated the tax collector’s unwavering commitment to stamping out internal graft.
“The fight against corruption is intensifying within URA, and we continue to uphold a zero-tolerance policy,” Musinguzi stated. “We call upon the general public to report all incidents of corruption as we work to seal revenue leakages.”
However, speaking during his arrest, Ssozi vehemently denied the corruption charges, claiming he was framed in a broader conflict involving high-stakes cargo consolidation fraud. He characterized the allegations against him as “half-truths” orchestrated by influential business operators attempting to undermine enforcement efforts.
According to Ssozi, the individual who handed him the package was a prominent cargo consolidator operating on behalf of major traders, while the coordinating agent was an acquaintance dating back to 2013, when Ssozi served as the officer-in-charge of enforcement at Jinja Customs.
“The gentleman who handed me the package—the so-called investor—is a big cargo consolidator. The agent coordinating with him has been known to me as the owner of Simbaland since 2013,” Ssozi said in his defense, arguing that his past enforcement record in Jinja had made him a target for rogue clearing firms.
“When I was sent to Jinja in 2012, my briefing was clear: deal with the massive fraud at Jinja Customs,” Ssozi added, hinting at an underlying vendetta.