Entebbe, Uganda: The State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU) busted a high-stakes fraud scheme that nearly robbed a Turkish investor of UGX 18.8 billion through a bogus government contract, exposing a criminal ring posing as top Energy Ministry officials.
The elaborate scam was uncovered after Turkish national Mr. Furkan Gumran, Managing Director of SIRUS Blue Chemical Manufacturing Co. Ltd, raised suspicion over a too-good-to-be-true procurement deal involving AD BLUE, a chemical used to curb carbon emissions in vehicles.
According to Mr. Israel Ochwo, Deputy Head of SH-ACU, the suspects crafted a fictitious procurement structure under the guise of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.
During a press briefing in Kampala, Ochwo named the accused as; Dr. Mulyansaka Charles – masquerading as Chairperson of the Special Contracts Committee, Mwesigwa Moses – claiming to be Director of Procurement, Seruma Moses – posing as Communications and IT Specialist, and Watum Peter – introduced as Group Secretary.
The group, according to Mr Ochow, lured Mr. Gumran with promises of a multi-billion-dollar contract and demanded upfront payments as part of the phony process.
“Mr. Gumran’s alertness saved him from becoming a victim of one of the most sophisticated impersonation scams targeting investors,” said Mr. Ochwo. “Instead of giving in, he contacted our office and cooperated with us to trap the suspects.”
In a sting operation coordinated by SH-ACU, the suspects were arrested red-handed at AHA Towers in Kampala during a scheduled meeting with the investor.
Ochwo commended Mr. Gumran for taking the right steps and urged all foreign investors to exercise the same level of vigilance when approached with “official-looking” but dubious government deals.
“If an investor receives a proposal involving State House or government offices, they should immediately verify it through SH-ACU or our sister agency, the State House Investors Protection Unit (@ShieldInvestors),” he said.
FUGITIVE ALERT: “Maj. Gen. Sam Kiwanuka” Wanted
In a related crackdown, SH-ACU issued a public alert for Ssekidde Lubowa Godfrey, alias “Maj. Gen. Sam Kiwanuka”, a fugitive accused of fleecing Sidari Limited, a Kenyan firm, of UGX 751 million. The suspect allegedly forged documents bearing the insignia of the Office of the President and Bank of Uganda to facilitate the scam.
Mr. Ochwo urged the public to report any information that may lead to Ssekidde’s arrest, stressing that impersonation and fraud undermine investor confidence and national development.
“SH-ACU remains fully committed to shielding legitimate investors and dismantling criminal networks that exploit government identity,” Ochwo added.
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