Ugandan police have detained nine finance ministry officials, including a top Treasury officer, over a $16.87 million central bank hacking investigation.

Uganda's police have detained nine officials from the finance ministry as part of an investigation into allegations of hacking the central bank's electronic systems, leading to the theft of 62 billion shillings ($16.87 million), according to statements from the ministry and police.

In November last year, State Minister for Finance Henry Musasizi confirmed reports from local media that the central bank's accounts had been compromised and funds had been stolen.

Among those detained is the most senior official in the ministry's Treasury department, as confirmed by both the police and the finance ministry. Officials from the accountant general’s office at the ministry were summoned and taken into custody by the Criminal Investigations Department to aid in concluding the inquiry, the finance ministry stated in a post on its X account late Tuesday.

While the ministry did not disclose the names or the exact number of those detained, police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke told NTV television that nine officials had been arrested. Rusoke also read out their names, which included the top Treasury official.

The detained officials were not immediately available for comment.

State-owned New Vision newspaper reported that hackers, identifying themselves as "Waste," infiltrated the Bank of Uganda’s IT systems and illegally transferred the stolen funds.