Suspected conman, Kasule further remanded

May 29, 2018

Kasule, also a businessman, is battling three counts of obtaining money by false pretense, contrary to Section 305 of the Penal Code Act.

FRAUD

KAMPALA- Former Kampala City Lord Mayoral aspirant, Muhammad Leon Kasule, accused of conning an American of sh580m in a botched gold deal has been further remanded to Luzira prisons on charges of obtaining money by false pretence.

Yesterday, Buganda Road grade one magistrate, Charles Yeteise, remanded the accused after prosecution led by viola Tusingwiirwe informed court that the trial magistrate was indisposed.

"Your worship, I pray for an adjournment since the trial magistrate is indisposed," she requested.

This prompted the magistrate to adjourn the case to June 6, for further hearing. Prosecution had lined up three witnesses to testify against Kasule.

Kasule, also a businessman, is battling three counts of obtaining money by false pretense, contrary to Section 305 of the Penal Code Act. The offence attracts a maximum penalty of five years on conviction.

Prosecution led by Senior State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya alleges that Kasule defrauded an American citizen, Richard Richards of $160,000 about (sh580m) in a bogus gold deal.

Prosecution alleges that in the first count, on June 26, 2017 in Kampala, Kasule obtained $48, 000 (about Sh172m), which was transferred to his bank account, 2202771867 at KCB main branch in Kampala from the bank account 012314610505201 of Senior Presidential Advisor on diaspora matters, Florence Kiremerwa, while falsely pretending that he was selling 2kg of Gold to her, whereas not.

Prosecution states that on August, 31, 2017, Kasule also obtained $79,990 (about Sh287.9m) from Richards 2502, which was transferred to his KCB bank account  through inward SWIFT Pa-AT-DPC from Richards 2502 EUTA in USA while falsely pretending that he was selling him 25kg of gold, whereas not.

The third count states that on September 13, 2017 in Kampala, Kasule obtained $29727 (about Sh107m) from Richards, which was transferred to his KCB bank account while falsely pretending that it was an additional payment for the 25kg of gold he sold to him whereas not.


Background

The hunt for Kasule started after Kiremerwa opened a fraud case against him at Central Police Station (CPS).

According to Kiremerwa, in June 2017, she introduced Richards to Kasule whom she had met at a funeral of one Moses Muwonge, a Ugandan who passed on in New York; US. Kasule had convinced her that he had been an associate in gold venture deals with late Muwonge.

Kiremerwa met Richards at the Congolese embassy in the US during one of her trips to the US. It is alleged that Richards had gone to the Congolese Embassy in the US to secure a visa to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to prospect gold, prompting her to introduce Kasule to him.

But it was not long when Richards ran to her crying that he had been conned after depositing cash to Kasule's Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) account.

 

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