$2m Illegally Wired From Djibouti, Cashed In Uganda

By Andrew Bagala

Kampala, 24 Jan 2014 (SDN) –Uganda Police Force have busted a suspected racket that has been stealing money from bank accounts of unsuspecting clients in Djibouti and transfer it to Uganda.

At least half a dozen people suspected to be of Somali origin were arrested on suspicion that they are part of the criminal network that fraudulently transferred US$2m from Djibouti.

The director of International Relations and Peace Support, Mr Asan Kasingye, confirmed the arrest of the prime suspect and his accomplices in Uganda and Kenya.

“We got a report from Interpol that one Abdiaziz Muhammad Omar, a banker in Djibouti but of Somali origin, had illegally wired money from a client’s account in Uganda,” Mr Kasingye said.

Similar cases. This is the second case that involves illegal transfer of a large sum of money from another country that the Uganda Police Force is handling in less than a year.

The most recent one was late last year when fraudsters hacked into the Vatican bank system and wired Shs2 billion to an account of a Ugandan woman, Esther Nabasa.

Uganda police discovered that the suspect had also entered Uganda and he got in touch with his colleagues in Kisenyi, a popular destination for people of Somali origin.

Mr Kasingye said when they dug more, they found out that the suspects had opened a forex bureau in Uganda which they were using to withdraw the funds.

“We recovered some money which they had sent in the forex bureau they opened and thereafter arrested the prime suspect’s accomplices last week,” Mr Kasingye said.

Upon getting the information of the arrest of his colleagues, Abdiaziz took off and hid in Kenya. But Interpol pursued him and arrested him.

IGP Kale Kayihura said such illegal transfers of large sums of money have exposed the weaknesses in the system, which he said must be tightened lest they are used by terrorists to cause havoc in the region.

Source: Daily Monitor