By Steven Candia

TWO pastors of a pentecostal church in the city were yesterday arrested in an early morning raid.

The pastors are being held over their dealings with officials of Dutch International, a micro- finance institution at the centre of a financial scam, spiraling into billions of shillings.

Pastors David Mwesigwa and Lawrence Keya Larry of the Garden of Peace Christian Centre in Ggaba were picked up by plain clothes detectives from their residences in Munyonyo Mulungu zone and Bunga zone.
The Police said Mwesigwa was hiding in his ceiling.

The pastors were taken to the Criminal Investigations Directorate at the Police headquarters in Kibuli for interrogation.
A third pastor, the Police are looking for, escaped.

During interrogation Keya, the senior pastor recounted how on several occasions they used to pray for the officials he described as their flock.
“There are a number of issues we want them to answer,” CID spokesperson Fred Enanga said yesterday.

The Police also seized a vehicle with registration number UAK 453B that was allegedly donated to the Church by Nixon Balikowa, the secretary general of the institution.

Balikowa and his secretary Joshua Kasaga, have since been charged at Buganda Road Court and remanded to Luzira Prison.

The Police are also investigating the duo over claims that they were conduits through whose accounts huge amounts of money were wired on behalf of the firm’s officials. Hundreds of people countrywide were conned.