KAMPALA, Uganda: Security agencies have picked keen interest in a case where a City gold dealer, claim that gold belonging to his client was diverted en route Bangkok – Thailand, only to reach Dubai with a change in content and standards, the Investigator impeccably reports.
Through his lawyer David Balondemu, businessman Farouk Kisuze deviously accuses a shipping line company of swindling the gold in question. He asserts that he had engaged the transporter to deliver the gold to his Japanese client, Hilouki Hazuma in Bangkok.
But, he later claim that the transporter tampered with the cargo and swapped it with totally different things. The 100Kgs mineral was worth over UGX11.5Bn, according to documents filed by Balondemu for Kisuze. The lawyers name the transporter as Hatyta Holdings Limited.
Our investigations at the registry of Companies reveals that the company is in existence under the Directorship of a one Najib E. and Mashar Odong. Kisuze is suing Hatyta, looking to salvage the ‘gold’ or its monetary value. He put the price of the gold at USD3, 080,000.
Kisuze files the case through his Optimal Gold Company, the same said to own the gold that ‘went missing’ in July last year. Contacted, the Hatyta Directors denied knowledge of the transaction, throwing doubt on the accuser’s claims. Hatyta directors actually revealed that they intend to lodge a case against Kisuze for using their Company’s name without their consent yet in a dubious transaction.
The lawsuit is before the Commercial section of the High Court. Justice Richard Wabwire Wejuli has been named to hear the dispute. The court’s deputy registrar Festo Nsenga has since issued summons to Hatyta to respond in writing to the charges. However, we have learnt that the accused are yet to be served, hence giving credence to their claim of utter no-knowledge of the matter.
Be that as it may, the well-briefed Uganda’s security wing, whose current assignment is to wipe out fake gold dealers in the country as they scare away the would-be genuine investors, are now investigating the matter with a view to establish the genuineness of Kisuze’s Optimal Gold Company. They look at the lawsuit in court as creative work by the con stars to help them escape liability.
“We suspect them to be using the Court case to create the impression that they delivered on the deal but the company they engaged to deliver the mineral swindled it. We are also aware of the police’s action so far taken but in vain, as the accused is allegedly feared in police corridors” the source opines. Indeed, the Investigator deeper investigations proved their curiosity to be accurate. … The Story
The Balondemu version…
Last month on the afternoon of 28th Balondemu’s chambers on Station House along Kampala road received a surprise physical call-in, of a group of visitors who were initially treated as probable clients. Alas! On introducing themselves, it was to the contrary. They pulled out their warrant cards and handcuffs instead.
They were no jokers, for in a twinkle of an eye, his staff members and partners witnessed him emerging from his office in tow of the ‘visitors’ but with both his cuffed hands politely swinging below the belt. It was a clear signal, their boss had been arrested. The onlookers outside enjoyed the movie-like action as he was whisked away like a catch of a decade-long sought Al-Shabaab fugitive.
He was later to appear before the Mineral Police Commandant SSP Abel Caleb Tashobya who locked him up at Entebbe premised Avipol Station. On 29th, the Investigator contacted sources at the station who confirmed his arrest and shared clues of the story. Attempts to reach the suspect were fruitless as his phones went unanswered every time we tried. Yes, indeed he was arrested.
The information collected indicated that Balondemu was being accused of the afore-mentioned case where, his only fault was to help Farouk Kisuze with the legal works on his transaction through which, he swindled the Japanese investor of USD970, 000, but in an ostensibly legit manner. Investigations reveal that Kisuze paid USD50, 000 to the lawyer as his fees.
Asked why Kisuze was still at large yet he was the mastermind of the entire loot, a highly knowledgeable police source revealed that actually, his boss is on the Prime Suspect, Farouk Kisuze’s payroll and that the same is guarded by Special Forces Command (SFC), hence making his apprehension by ‘mere’ police, a hard paper to tackle. “Even that Counsel is just a Munyampi (slung for a victim of circumstances). He is not supposed to be in cells,” the officer prophesized about Balondemu’s imminent release later that day.
In a bid to verify our police source’ allegations, we impeccably learnt that indeed, Tashobya (a Runyakore name for ‘him who don’t err’), is indeed ‘friends’ with not only Kisuze but most of the questionable gold dealers in the city. We also confirmed that he is always sandwiched by two armed SFC guards, whose deployment ‘master’ we also got heavy wind of…
But why the SFC guards for Kisuze?
The Investigator impeccably gathered from the achieves that the well-schooled, intelligent and travelled Kisuze spent last year’s October to December period in security coolers. He had had his luck jump out of the Mestil Hotel’s ever open windows when, Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) operatives surrounded the Nsambya – premised leisure and accommodation facility for no other mission but his immediate arrest.
Details of the case was that Kisuze and a Kenyan con-fellow, Henry Ogutu had impersonated State House senior officials and ‘officially’ invited a potential Solar City project investor to fly in and meet the President. However, before he would travel to Uganda for an assured meeting with the Country’s number one, he had to send in USD100, 000, meant to grease the passage to State House corridors.
The shrewd duo had braved odyssey to even send an ‘official’ invitation letter to the investor, neatly printed on State House letterhead. To starters, official State House diplomatic letters are screened and verified before acted upon. And the same was subjected to the investor’s letter on arrival at Entebbe International Airport. The ever investors’ protective security personnel at Entebbe screened the letter and it tested fake. They advised the investor to wait for his hosts but was humbly requested to inform security before they would take him.
With a swag that would see even kick boxer Moses Golola pave way for him, Ogutu arrived at the Airport to pick the investor and straight, take him to Mestil Hotel where the senior State House official in Kisuze, was waiting to receive him. The investor did well on his promise. He tipped security and Ogutu’s story is the preamble of these lines in the afore-mentioned works of CMI at Mestil Hotel.
The duo was kept in the cells for the period of two months, only to be saved by the exiting out of the country, by their victim and prime witness who, had overstayed before realizing that Uganda’s means of transport that delivers justice to aggrieved ones, is actually — a tortoise. This piece explains why Kisuze’s security godfathers had to guard him against a repetition of the Mestil Hotel mystery.
The Japanese take
When contacted via Whatssap, the Japanese never replied, though he read ours. However, we later received a message from a one Ali, claiming to address us on his client’s behalf. On sharing the story’s contents, Ali confirmed it but said, his client is in fear since he was assured of stopping a bullet the moment he dares coming back to Uganda. “We would actually want to pursue this matter but the life threatening messages from the highly connected and armed people seem very real. We however are trying to reach your President. We will keep you posted,” is how Ali summed up.
The Gold source
Given the fact that police protects them cons, security have taken on the mantle to implement President Museveni’s most desired mission of flushing out of the country, fake gold dealers who have significantly scared away potential investors.
Intelligence is even looking at the source of the gold that Kisuze is talking about, if at all it existed in the first place. They are investigating the possibility that such gold, if what the duo is saying is the truth really, could have been smuggled from elsewhere and then exported.
International bodies working to stop gold smuggling are on record accusing Uganda of being a haven for gold smuggled from neighboring countries, especially the DR-Congo. They note that Uganda has few gold deposits in relation to the large volumes the country is selling on the world market.
The experts then wonder where Uganda gets such large volumes of gold except from smuggling it from other countries or actually dealing in fake ones. “Such allegations damage Uganda’s image overseas, yet smuggling gold is not official here. This is why we are keen on finding out where the gold these people alleges their clients lost, originated from” affirmed our source.
This case aside, security is investigating a string of lawyers in town who are working with fake gold dealers. The lawyers allegedly help the fake gold dealers to convince their victims that they are dealing with upright people and even defend them in courts of law. “We have been getting disturbing info about lawyers increasingly getting involved in gold scams. We have arrested some and we are soon closing in on others.”
By the way, security has stepped up the fight on gold scams, making it a very risky business. They have since arrested big time culprits such as Don Nasser, who they found hiding in the ceiling of a house. The latest to be netted is Sam Buchanana, a businessman said to be one of the biggest gold cons. To demonstrate their seriousness, security has since paraded Buchanana before a military court much as he is a civilian.
But will this vice ever be wiped out of the country? The following ‘Gold Scams’ series coming soon will prove you write or wrong, but the later takes the front seat…
Coming soon is series of a 1st Family member’s dealings in fake Gold before threatening away his victims with death threats…
- How a Serbian was conned and sent into hiding
- A one William Obak, a Sudanese national who lost USD1M before he fled for his life
- One Erdal Sezen who lost USD900, 000 before he fled the country for his life and others to come.
Watch this space…