Arua Central Police Station has apprehended five Post Bank staff members over their suspected involvement in the theft of Shillings 138 million. Among the detainees are Leonard Lakwey, the Operations Manager, Walter Feni, the Customer Service Officer, as well as banking officers Resty Lunkuse, David Tenywa, and Brian Olara Okidi, all stationed at the Arua branch.
The arrests were executed upon the return of the suspects to Arua from Post Bank Head Office in Kampala, where they had attended a disciplinary session regarding the same matter the previous week. Initial findings suggest that the alleged theft occurred during the transit of funds from the Post Bank Arua branch, situated along Avenue Road in Arua City, to Yumbe District—an accusation that the bank vehemently denies.
Josephine Angucia, the West Nile region Police spokesperson, affirmed the arrest, stating that the issue came to light in December of the preceding year when officials from Post Bank Head Offices in Kampala conducted an end-of-year audit at the Arua Branch. It was then discovered that approximately Sh138.6 million was unaccounted for, prompting the police report on February 5, 2024.
Angucia revealed that the suspects face charges of theft of money, with further legal actions pending advice from the Resident State Attorney.
In a statement released on Sunday, the police disclosed that the Post Bank Arua Branch Manager and the Branch Operations Supervisor, both currently at large, evaded arrest by refusing to attend the disciplinary session at the Head Office. This incident adds to a series of challenges faced by Post Bank, a government-owned financial institution. In 2019, seven former top managers were accused of fraud amounting to about 4 billion Shillings, though the court later acquitted them of the charges.
