FRAUD

KAMPALA - The Buganda Road Chief Magistrate's Court has further remanded to Luzira prison two MTN employees accused of swapping a number of VIP Sim-cards.

These are Nasser Kigenyi, 29, a service centre advisor with MTN, Mubende branch and Henry Magembe, 37, a salesman.

They are facing charges of abetting electronic fraud and unauthorised obstruction of Sim-cards, contrary to the Computer Misuse Act.

On Tueday, the Grade One Magistrate, Samuel Kagoda, remanded the accused after state prosecutor Jonathan Muwaganya informed court that investigations were still underway.

They were remanded until March, 29, when they will be produced back in court for bail application.

The suspects also face an alternative charge of conspiracy to defraud state minister for lands Persis Namuganza, state minister for agriculture Christopher Kibanzanga, Western Youth MP Mpaka Mwine and businesswoman Mercy Kyakunda.

Prosecution alleges that the duo and others still at large, in February, unlawfully swapped Sim-card numbers 0776679365, 0782670551, 0772970393 and 0783799892 belonging to Kyakunda, Namuganza, Kibanzanga and Mwine respectively.

According to prosecution, they swapped the Sim-cards without authorisation of the owners, thereby allowing fraudsters who got possession of the said cellphone numbers to fraudulently solicit money from the public with intention of securing unfair gains.

The duo is also accused of blocking the duly registered owners of the said Sim-cards from using them while being used in fraudulent purposes.