Hackers breached the Bank of Uganda’s systems, stealing 62 billion shillings ($17 million), according to New Vision.
The attack was attributed to a Southeast Asia-based group called “Waste,” the Kampala-based newspaper reported on Thursday, citing anonymous sources.
The bank reportedly managed to recover approximately 37 billion shillings of the stolen funds.
According to reports, the police and the auditor general’s office are investigating the breach.
The Bank of Uganda has yet to comment on the incident.
In a separate report, the Daily Monitor stated that the total amount stolen was 47.8 billion shillings.
The funds were transferred in September to two accounts in Japan and the UK.
The fraud is suspected to be an “inside job,” with several employees from the central bank and the finance ministry being questioned.
Dr Natamba Bazinzi, the Deputy Director for Communications at BoU, speaking to a local daily about the alarming scandal, said, “Bank of Uganda is waiting for the police report on the reported incident,” which reportedly occurred a fortnight ago.
Meanwhile, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Finance spokesperson, Mr Jim Mugunga, when approached cast doubt about such a large sum of money being swiped out of the state coffers.
“I have been incapacitated for some time and I am not privy to such information, but I doubt that such a big incident would be wrapped in mystery,” he said.
