The State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU) has thwarted an elaborate attempt to defraud a Turkish investor, Mr. Furkan Gumran, and his company, Sirus Blue Chemical Manufacturing Company Limited of nearly USD 5 million( about shs17.9 billion) in a fake government supply deal.
Addressing journalists during a press briefing on Wednesday, Mr. Israel Ochwo, Deputy Head of SH-ACU, revealed that the scam involved forged documents purporting to offer Mr. Gumran a Ministry of Energy contract to supply AD BLUE, a chemical used in reducing vehicle carbon emissions. The fraudulent contract was valued at USD 4,952,000.
Mr. Ochwo said that the intercepted scheme involved a group of impersonators who claimed to hold top government positions.
The suspects arrested identified as, Dr. Mulyansaka Charles the alleged Chairman, Special Contracts Committee, Mwesigwa Moses the alleged Director of Procurement, Seruma Moses impersonates as Communication/IT Specialist and Watum Peter the alleged Secretary.
These individuals were arrested during a controlled operation at AHA Towers in Kampala, thanks to the vigilance and cooperation of Mr. Gumran, who grew suspicious and contacted the Anti-Corruption Unit for verification.
“We commend Mr. Gumran for not proceeding blindly. His prudence and trust in Ugandan institutions helped us bring these criminals to justice,” said Mr. Ochwo.
Mr. Gumran worked closely with SH-ACU to set up the meeting that led to the suspects’ arrest a move hailed as a model for how other foreign investors should act when approached with questionable offers.
SH-ACU has since urged all investors approached with supposed government contracts in Uganda to verify authenticity through the Anti-Corruption Unit or its sister agency, the Shield Investors Protection Unit (SH-IPU).
In a related development, Mr. Ochwo appealed to the public for help in locating Ssekidde Lubowa Godfrey, who is also known by the alias “Maj Gen. Sam Kiwanuka.”
He is wanted for defrauding Sidari Limited of Kenya of USD 197,670 using forged credentials from the Office of the President and the Bank of Uganda.
“Let this be a warning to con artists exploiting Uganda’s image to steal from genuine investors. We are watching and we are coming for you,” Ochwo concluded.
