Africa-Press – Uganda. The Specialised Utilities Wildlife and Standards Court yesterday remanded four men to Kitalya prison over attempting to steal Shs43m from a bank account of Gen Salim Saleh, the coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation.
The suspects are Isma Katende,32, the director Ark Management Limited, Tukiko Mukasa,33, a dog breeder at Gayaza, Steven Ssemwogerere,36, a graphics designer and Yahaya Mawejje,50, a broker.
They are charged with four counts, which include unauthorised access, access with intent to commit or facilitate the commission of further offence, electronic fraud and conspiracy to defraud Gen Saleh.The charges are contrary to the Computer Misuse Act,2011.
During a session presided over magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu, the accused denied all offences as read to them before court.Ms Kamasanyu adjourned the matter to June 17 for mention and bail application.
Prosecution contends that the key suspect Katende during 2019 while at the National Theatre in Kampala intentionally accessed and intercepted Gen Saleh’s email address; [email protected] without authorisation with intent of committing fraud.
It is further alleged that the quartet and others still at large in February in Kampala by means of deception deliberately created an email address; [email protected] from which instructions were purportedly sent by Gen Saleh to his bankers to pay out Shs43m with the intention of securing unlawful gain.
The state further asserts that the accused and others also conspired to defraud Gen Saleh the money in question through his Stanbic Bank account holden at garden city branch in Kampala.
Suspects contact bank
The police records indicate that after the accused accessed the email account, they wrote to the bank manager, claiming the general had instructed a payment on mobile money through mobile wallet on telephone numbers they indicated. These records further state that upon receipt on the email, the bank manager got inquisitive because their client, Gen Saleh had never made such a transaction previously.
