Pastor withdraws guilty plea in Sh2.5b gold scam case
Didier Borromee Bitemo Kifoueti, 55, told Kampala City Hall Court that he had initially pleaded guilty to obtaining money by false pretence because he was under pressure and did not understand the court proceedings.
Didier Borromee Bitemo Kifoueti, dressed in a red T-shirt, in the dock with his co-accused at City Hall Court, where they face charges over an alleged SH2.5b gold scam. (Credit: Barbra Kabahumuza)
KAMPALA - A pastor based in Canada accused of obtaining $600,000 (about Sh2.5b) from an Egyptian businessman in a disputed gold transaction has denied conspiring with his co-accused to defraud the complainant.
Didier Borromee Bitemo Kifoueti, 55, told Kampala City Hall Court that he had initially pleaded guilty to obtaining money by false pretence because he was under pressure and did not understand the court proceedings.
Kifoueti made the explanation when the trial magistrate, Edgar Karakire, asked him why he had earlier admitted the first count.
He maintained that the transaction involved a contract for the purchase of gold and denied conspiring with his co-accused to obtain the complainant’s money.
“The first day we appeared in court, we did not know what to expect because we were under pressure,” Kifoueti told the court.
He claimed that the complainant, Ahamed Mossaad Mahmoud Hassan Abouzeid, had signed a contract to receive gold in Dubai and had been issued with a ticket by the seller, who was allegedly waiting to meet him there.
He said they had an email confirmation to support their position and questioned why they had been arrested over the transaction.
The accused further told court that his arrest had separated him from his family and church in Canada.
He also complained that his phones had been confiscated, making it difficult for him to communicate with his lawyer and prepare his defence.
Kifoueti, who describes himself as a businessman, said he was unwell and unable to follow the court proceedings.
State Attorney Miriam Akite told court that investigations into the case had been completed and asked for an early hearing date.
Karakire adjourned the case to November 4, 2026, for hearing.
Background
Kifoueti is jointly charged with Marcel Christian Nyamoutet, 48, a Cameroonian national and information technology manager, and Hassan Katende, 37, a Ugandan.
According to the charge sheet, the three accused and others still at large allegedly obtained $600,000 (about Sh2.5b) from Abouzeid between January and February 2026 at Serena Hotel in Kampala by falsely claiming that they were selling him 50 kilogrammes of gold.
They also face a charge of conspiracy to commit a felony, with the prosecution alleging that they agreed to obtain the money through the purported gold transaction.
The complainant’s statement indicates that Nyamoutet, whom he described as a friend, introduced him to the transaction. He was later introduced to Kifoueti as a representative of the alleged seller, identified in the statement as Rajabu Mwami, a Congolese national.
The complainant further stated that a company was expected to handle the documentation, taxes, shipping and exportation of the gold. He said he paid money towards the transaction after an agreement was drafted and signed.