Suspected conman denied bail again

Former Kampala City Lord Mayoral aspirant, Muhammed Kasule in the dock at Buganda Road Court on four counts of fraudulently obtaining money by false pretence on April 10,2018. Photos by Eddie Ssejjoba

Buganda Road Court has denied bail the former Kampala City Lord Mayoral aspirant, Muhammad Leon Kasule, who is accused of conning an American of sh580m.

On Wednesday, Buganda Road court chief magistrate, James Ereemye Mawanda said he could not grant Kasule bail the suspect had refused to surrender his passport to Police.

The court also heard that Kasule eluded police for over six months until he was arrested last week.

Kasule is accused of obtaining money by false pretense which is contrary to section 305 of the penal code Act.
He has pleaded not guilty of the charges and now remanded to Luzira prisons

Kasule was arrested by the police for allegedly defrauding an American citizen, Richard Richards of $160,000 in a bogus gold deal.

Kasule, who was a National Resistance Movement (NRM) aspiring candidate for the Lord Mayorship for Kampala City appeared before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate, James Mawanda.

He had earlier been denied bail after the Senior State Attorney, Jonathan Mawaganya objected to his application. He was represented by his lawyer, Aminah Zawedde.

According to Mawaganya, the three sureties Kasule presented in court to secure bail, including his two friends, Badru Kasujja and Robert Kambugu Sseninde and his uncle Yahaya Kasujja, all businessmen at Kibuye, a city suburb had no copies of their National Identity Cards (IDs) and only presented their original copies.
 
"Going by the gravity of the allegations, I pray that court be pleased to allow us sufficient time to study the documents and carry out possible verifications as to the particulars of the sureties and be in position to substantiate the application and give court credible information to allow or reject the application,"  Mawaganya told court.

He had asked for one day's extension but the magistrate adjourned the case to Friday and asked the sureties to come along with copies of their IDs.

Kasule was charged with three counts of obtaining money by false pretense.

Prosecution alleges that in the first count, on June 26, 2017 in Kampala city, Kasule, with intent to defraud, 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 at Ecobank Kampala while falsely pretending that he was selling 2kg of Gold to her, whereas not.

In the second count he was charged with obtaining money by false pretense, contrary to Section 305 of the Penal Code Act.



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

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

Court documents indicate that the money was wired on Kasule's account number 2202771867 in KCB, Kampala main branch.

Obtaining money by false pretense is contrary to section 305 of the penal code Act.

When asked whether he had understood all the charges, Kasule responded that he had heard and understood the charges but pleaded not guilty.