The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | Businessman Frank Gashumba, his brother Innocent Kasumba together with a tour and travel guide officer Ismail Kiyingi have been granted bail after they were arraigned before Buganda Road Court on 16 counts including impersonation, conspiracy to commit a felony, unlwaful possession of narcotic drugs, forgery and uttering a false document.
They appeared before Chief Magistrate James Eremye Mawanda who informed them that they were not going to plead to the charges due to the abscence of prosecutors, but that charges were going to be read to them inorder to know why they are in court, after which they were free to exercise their right to apply for bail.
Court then heard that the three conspired on September 12, 2017 at Tulip Golden Hotel- Kafu road in Kampala, to obtain money from two Dutch nationals, falsely pretending that they were going to offer them contracts of supplying trucks, a troop carrier, heavy machines and water tanks among others to the Ministry of Defense.
Court heard that in doing this Gashumba had falsely represented himself as Col. Okello Francis the Director logistics, while his brother Kasumba had falsely represented himself as Dr. John Mwine the Director Procurement.
Frank Gashumba claims for 10 days during detention, he was not allowed to speak to his lawyer, family or doctor ? @bamulanzeki pic.twitter.com/cL75viz2cM
— The Observer (@observerug) November 6, 2017
Court also heard that Gashumba and brother Kasumba forged an identification card of Ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs, which they uttered to the said foreigners, Kolgvan M. Dirutop and Manu Meerscghman from Holland, and forged several stamps of South Sudan Ministries of Finance, Health, Education, Transport and that of Agriculture.
Its further alleged that on September 30 and 31, 2017 Kasumba and Gashumba at Gabba and Bunga in Makindye Division in Kampala respectively, were unlawfully found in possession of substances suspected to be marijuana a drug under International Control.
Magistrate Eremye then released them on a court bond of sh20 million shillings, which same bond was signed by their surities who included MP Joseph Sewungu, relatives and friends.
They are to ensure that the accused persons return to court on November 20, 2017, with a hope that prosecutors will have returned from their strike.
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— The Independent (@UGIndependent) October 31, 2017
