Another Dutch International officer arrested over fraud

Feb 15, 2009

Another top official of Dutch International Ltd, a dubious financial institution at the centre of a countrywide multi-million shilling fraud, has been arrested.

By Steven Candia

Another top official of Dutch International Ltd, a dubious financial institution at the centre of a countrywide multi-million shilling fraud, has been arrested.

Eddie Muwaga, the country coordinator of the firm was arrested on Friday after he turned himself in at the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) headquarters at Kibuli in Kampala. Muwaga has been on the Police’s wanted list.

Muwaga, who fled the country in November last year, first went to Dubai before moving to Kenya recently.

“We have interrogated him and hopefully he should appear in court this week,” CID spokesperson Fred Enanga said yesterday.

Enanga said Muwaga faced charges of embezzlement and operating the company as a banking institution without a licence.

Two of the company’s top officials, Nixon Balikowa, the assistant country coordinator and Joshua Kasaga, an information technology specialist, were arrested in connection with the scam and remanded to Luzira Prison.

Hundreds of people in Kampala, Kapchorwa, Mbale and Jinja districts were conned out billions of shillings by the company.

Last month, the Police briefly detained pastors David Mwesigwa and Lawrence Keya Larry of the Garden of Peace Christian Centre Church in Ggaba in connection with the scam. The Police said they would be used as witnesses.

Central to the arrest of the pastors was a vehicle that the firm donated to the Church.

The car had allegedly been bought by Muwaga.

Sources close to the investigations also said the Police were holding Muwaga over the disappearance of sh47m, belonging to the company.

The money had been stolen by one of the cashiers.

“When they took the cashier to the Pastors, they prayed for him and he handed the money to Muwaga,” the source said.

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