NTV Uganda, a leading privately owned television station in Uganda is crying foul after a local nongovernmental organization based in Gulu issued it [NTV] with a bounced cheque worth 77.4 million shillings.
The cheque issued by a charity-Children of Africa – Uganda, for broadcast services rendered to the organization by NTV last year.
Children of Africa- Uganda says it works for vulnerable children and women affected by the insurgency in northern Uganda.
The NTV alleges that the charity has refused to clear its debts since August 2015 despite numerous reminders.
On Wednesday evening, police raided the offices of Children of Africa located along Cemetery road, Pece division in Gulu Municipality and arrested one of its staff identified as Benson Otim, the Monitoring and Evaluation Manager.
Otim is being held at Gulu Central Police Station (CPS) for questioning.
Jimmy Patrick Okema, the Aswa region police spokesperson confirmed the arrest and said police has already opened an investigation on the allegations against Children of Africa- Uganda.
Okema told our reporter that police has recorded a statement from Otim and another from Orach Osinde, the NTV Uganda Recovery Manager.
Dorothy Alweny, the Program Manager of the charity is also wanted for questioning by police. Alweny declined to confirm whether NTV offered her organization services. She described Osinde as a dubious person who wants to defraud her organization. She also threatened legal action against media organisations who publish stories about her organization.
But Michael Orach Osinde, the NTV Recovery Manager who also doubles as the company lawyer told our reporter on Wednesday that NTV offered marketing and advertising services for Children of Africa after entering an agreement but added that no payment has been made to the company for services rendered.
Osinde accused Alweny for being adamant and for failure to comply after she was notified that the cheque from her organisation had bounced.
In a letter dated March 18, 2016, and copied to Dorothy Alweny, the Program Manager for Children of Africa, the Director of CIID, the Regional CIID Officer, Gulu, and Finance and Administration Manager- NTV demands for an additional 4.2 Million shillings in cash as recovery cost in addition to the 77.4 million.
Part of the letter reads, “Take notice therefore that unless you clear the monies immediately by draft plus our recovery cost of 4.2 Million shilling in cash as per your initial commitment by Monday March 21, 2016, we shall not hesitate to effect your arrest and committal to prison at your own peril.”
