On September 30th, 2024, a team of investigators, including the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, the Criminal Investigations Directorate, and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, arrested six suspects in a joint operation over a gold scam.
These scammers were trying to pull a fast one by selling fake gold, and they got caught red-handed. The suspects were a mix of businessmen and clearing agents. Their names are Kananura Daniel, Mpomba Richard, Muhwezi Benon, Nkahirwa Pascal, Mujuzi John Kennedy, and Bekalaze Ismail.
They were caught with 11 boxes full of 300 metal bars that they claimed were gold. Can you believe they were trying to trick people, maybe even investors, into buying this fake gold? Yes that is how gold scam business has taken a tll in Uganda.
The investigators did some serious detective work. They took the metal bars to the Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines to be tested. The results? The bars weren’t gold at all! They were just a mix of other metals like zinc, copper, iron, tin, and molybdenum.
The six suspects were taken to court on October 11th, 2024, and charged with several crimes, including:
Dealing in minerals without a license, mingling minerals with the intent to defraud, and smuggling minerals. The judge, Edgar Tibayeita Tusiime, didn’t buy their story and decided to keep them in jail until their next court date on October 25th, 2024.
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This case is a big deal because it shows that the authorities in Uganda are serious about cracking down on illegal activities, especially those that try to cheat people out of their hard-earned money.
