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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Anti-Corruption Court Judge Margaret Tibulya has dismissed a bail application filed by Angella Chebet the wife to city socialite Sulaiman Kabangala also known as SK Mbuga. Chebet was arrested to face charges of fraud, money laundering and obtaining money by false pretence.
The prosecution alleges that on April 7, 2015, in Kampala, with the intention to defraud, Chebet obtained 153 million Shillings from a Swedish national by falsely pretending that she was facilitating a gold deal. She is also accused of obtaining 168 million Shillings from the same person on April 13, 2015, and an additional 108 million Shillings on May 28, 2015, through her Barclays bank account well knowing that the funds were proceeds of crime.
She had been arrested and charged in a Swedish court in February 2017, but jumped bail and found her way back to Uganda.
But the same ground was used by the magistrate to deny her bail today, making reference to circumstances surrounding her arrest, and her clandestine return. Tibulya observed that Chebet is a flight risk, and is most likely to leave the country before completion of her trial.
Chebet had presented five sureties to back her application for bail. They include her Paternal Uncle Ismail Lwanga, 65, a commercial farmer from Busunju, her niece Betty Kaiwa and friends; Sarah Kaweesa, Judith Kabaale and Bridget Kiggundu. But Lamunu explained that their substantiality of the sureties was more important than their number.
Court heard that none of the sureties convinced the judge that they would bring Chebet to Court since she has a record of successfully flying from Sweden to Uganda, even when her Passport was held. She is now expected to report back to court on March 27, 2019.
Her husband SK Mbuga was extradited to Sweden in February after spending almost a year in detention, in the United Arab Emirates over fraud involving Dubai and Oman businessmen.
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