Another suspect charged over defrauding investor
SHACU, in a statement, said Ibona is part of a group of fraudsters, including Charles Mulyansaka, also known as Dr Dickens Muo, Peter Watum, and Drake Twebaze, also known as Dr John Karuhanga, who were earlier charged with various offences related to defrauding an investor.
Joseph Ibona, the suspect. (Courtesy)
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The State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), working jointly with the Criminal Investigation Directorate and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, on Wednesday (March 25), arraigned Joseph Ibona before the Anti-Corruption Division on charges of obtaining money by false pretence.
SHACU, in a statement, said Ibona is part of a group of fraudsters, including Charles Mulyansaka, also known as Dr Dickens Muo, Peter Watum, and Drake Twebaze, also known as Dr John Karuhanga, who were earlier charged with various offences related to defrauding an investor.
“They are implicated in a fraudulent transaction involving the purported supply of an AdBlue solution (a chemical used to reduce carbon emissions in automotive engines) worth $4.95 million to various ministries of the Government of Uganda, mainly, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and the Ministry of Works and Transport,” SHACU said.
SHACU revealed that the accused allegedly attempted to obtain $50,000 (about sh186m) through a bank account, falsely claiming that the money was required for the registration of the investor’s company, TMA Africa Proprietary Limited, in Uganda, when, in fact, this was not true.
Ibona was remanded until April 10, 2026.
In July last year, SHACU arraigned Mulyansaka, the purported director of Pigeon Growers Uganda Ltd, Twebaze, who was the alleged representative of the works ministry, and Watum, who posed as a works ministry representative.
SHACU alleged that between June 2023 and July 2025, the trio defrauded South African investor Justine Stocks of M/s TMA Africa Limited of $416,000 (about sh1.5 billion) under the false pretence of securing a contract to supply AdBlue chemicals to the Ministry of Works and Transport and to construct an AdBlue chemical plant in Uganda.
In 2023, Dr Mulyansaka, using the false identity of Dr Muo, contacted the director of TMA Africa Ltd in South Africa via WhatsApp. He falsely claimed to be a sourcing agent seeking suppliers of AdBlue chemicals on behalf of the Ministry of Works and Transport in Uganda. Mulyansaka then invited the investor to Uganda and scheduled meetings at private facilities, claiming they were the offices of the works ministry.