The Criminal Investigations Directorate
(CID) has charged two police deserters accused of conning $6m (about Shs
21.9 billion) out of an American national, Anastasios Belesis in a gold
scam.
Former police constable Martin Bwayo alias Capt Bob and his alleged
accomplice Enock Katwesigye alias Col Frank, according to Belesis,
masqueraded as senior UPDF officers who transact gold on behalf of key
government officials. Belesis, in his statement at CID headquarters,
Kibuli, said his woes started last year when he met a one Charles in
Kenya who convinced him that he knew Ugandans who sell genuine gold and
in large quantities.
Belesis has since identified himself to detectives as a minerals
dealer from the United States, a business he has traded in for over two
decades. The 46-year-old said he travelled from the US to Kenya in 2019
to purchase gold but did not succeed. As he was planning to fly back to
the US, he met Charles who befriended him and later told him about
available gold in Uganda.
“Charles gave me the contact of Capt Frank [Bwayo Martin]
who I later met when I travelled to Uganda. Capt Frank told me he deals
with only registered and recognized mineral companies. He told me to
register my the company, acquire a license from geological minerals
department, a certificate from Uganda Revenue Authority and National
Social Security Fund,” Belesis said in a statement.
After providing the list of requirements that Belesis needed to meet
before he started gold transactions, Bwayo told him that the
registration process would take almost two years but in order to speed
up the process, Bwayo introduced him to Katwesigye, who told him that
they needed about $3 million which he allegedly paid. He was later
charged $2.5 million for hiring an office at Mukwano Courts and
recruiting some workers.
“I paid the money hesitantly but I was convinced I was dealing with
genuine people since they asked me to meet all these procedures. They
took me to where gold was being sold. I examined five kilogrammes of
gold which were all genuine. They told me that they had over 800
kilogrammes of gold and they were willing to sell it to me,” Belesis
added.
After testing the gold, Belesis gave Bwayo and Katwesigye an
additional $1.25 million But to his surprise, seven armed men dressed in
military-like attires intercepted the box body truck in which the gold
had been loaded. The armed men, Belesis said, claimed to have been sent
by a government security agency because they had been tipped about an
unlawful gold transaction. Katwesigye introduced himself to the seven
armed men as a UPDF colonel and he was saluted.
“Col Frank told me he was engaging the security men so that they
could allow me to take my gold. He engaged them on the side and he later
told me they had refused. I was asked to pay $750,000 more, but I
became suspicious of endless expenses,” Belesis said.
It was at that point that Belesis’s friend told him to file a case at
CID headquarters. The case was entered on GEF 086/2021. Fraud and money
laundering detectives were assigned by CID director AIGP Grace Akullo
to trace the culprits.
The investigations led to the arrest of the two police officers and
CID spokesperson, ASP Charles Twine, said detectives are now looking for
other suspects who masqueraded as soldiers and hijacked the gold truck.
At the time of arrest, ASP Twine said the genuine gold has gone
missing. Police have encouraged investors to avoid concealed
transactions in order to avoid being duped by fraudsters. Police are now
looking to attach the property which purchased using conned money.
