The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | David Kironde alias Sam Ssimbwa Daudi, a 39-year-old employee of Kololo based Southern Mineral Company has denied defrauding a Canadian National Assi Soubhi.
Kironde and four other suspects Stella Kalungi Dindi, Richard Kamugisha, Nasser Kibirige and Yazidi Kabonge are facing five charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, obtaining money by false pretence, criminal trespass, impersonation and forgery.
They were arrested on January 10, 2018, inside the Makerere Chemistry Lab trying to conduct another fake gold test.
Appearing before the Grade One Magistrate Beatrice Khainza on Tuesday, Kironde, a resident of Naalya Mulyagonja Gayaza denied the allegations and described Soubhi as a liar.
“On 10th January 2018, I received instructions from my boss Farouk Kisuze to go and follow up a transaction at Makerere University. I called my friend Yazidi who came to drive me because I was not feeling well. When we reached Makerere, I found Stella with another man who I later learnt was Nasir. We had just stepped out of the car when we heard gunshots. About 50 police officers surrounded us and told us they had arrested us, they took us to the Chemistry Lab and it was around 6:00 pm,” Kironde told court.
Kibonge denied knowledge of all the other co-accused except Yazidi who he said he had known for seven years. He said that his first time to get in contact with Soubhi was the day the group was arrested.
“A person coming from nowhere and decides to plant cases on you it’s really surprising. Does he know where I got my money?” questioned Kironde.
Soubhi on his part said Kironde is their boss and that he saw him three times before the gold transaction took place. He says he testified before court and submitted evidence implicating Kironde as one of the people who scammed him.
Prosecution alleges that the five suspects in the month of December 2017, conspired to commit a felony when they obtained money by false pretence from Soubhi Assi while pretending to sell him 7kilograms of pure gold at USD191, 100 valued at approximately 687.9 billion shillings.
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