The Police have been asked to open a fresh investigation into the alleged defrauding of Asians investors in Lira city of sh9b.

The chairperson of Lango Parliamentary Group, Judith Alyek, says when the investors lost sh9b, their factories collapsed and over 1,000 workers in the Lango sub-region lost their jobs.

“As a result of the act of criminality, seven factories owned by investors in Lira city collapsed and several people lost their jobs,” she said.

Alyek was speaking at the dinner organised by the Pakistani Association in Lango to welcome Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Hassan Wazir.

Wazir, together with health minister Dr Jane Aceng, had earlier launched an eye camp at Lira Regional Referral Hospital.

Background

Late last year, six investors running businesses in Lira city accused Agri-exim Ltd of failing to pay for goods they supplied worth sh9b.

Agri-exim Ltd is an investor based in Iceme, Oyam district.

According to the leader of the Pakistanis in Lango, Ateeq Muhammad Nawazi, the investors supplied sunflower grains, soybean, simsim and cotton.

The investors include Dev Patel of Premukh Millers (sh3.6b), Farook Wakas of Farook Agro (sh2.3b), Muhammed Shahid of Mian Agro (sh644m), Anifa Aguti of Umaima Business Solution (sh498m) and Basra Gurcharan of Guru Nanak (sh571m).

They opened a case of obtaining goods by false pretence against Agri-Exim at the Special Investigation Division at Kireka in Kampala and the Police kicked off investigations into the matter.

After months of investigation, the file was later called to Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) headquarters in Kibuli for further management.

However, in a report dated March 28, 2022 signed by acting commissioner economic crimes and financial intelligence Tesiima Catheline, they advised the complainants to seek civil redress since the Police was going to close the file.

“Upon completion of the inquiries, the Police file was submitted to the Directorate of Public Prosecution for legal opinion and guidance,” the report reads in part.

“Later it was returned with advice that the complainants should seek civil redress since the file be accordingly closed,” Tesiima added

Call for fresh probe

But Alyek, who is also the Kole District Woman MP, said a fresh investigation should be opened so that the investors recover their money.

She said they were already following up the case with the Government to see that these people recover their money and return to business.