UK based Ugandan promoter, John Mujungu has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison. A North-fleet couple found guilty of money laundering have been sentenced at Maid stone Crown Court.
Grace Ntolera-Mujungu, 42, and Johnson Mujungu, 53, both of Struttons Avenue, received a payment of £120,000 illegally and transferred it into a number of different accounts linked to them both.
In August 2017, the victim received a call that he needed to pay inheritance tax to a firm of solicitors linked to his late grandmother’s estate.
Johnson Mujungu was Ann Kansime and Irene Namubiru’s international manager.
Email intercepted
An email from the solicitors giving instructions on how to transfer the amount due was then sent. However, the email was intercepted by the defendants and a different account was provided resulting in the victim paying them the money instead.
When the victim realised the money had not been paid to the solicitors, he contacted the police and an investigation was launched.
Officers discovered the money had been paid into a business account owned by Ntolera-Mujungu and on receipt of the payment, it was immediately dispersed into several other bank accounts owned by her and her husband Johnson Mujungu.
Ntolera-Mujungu denied charges of transferring and converting criminal property and Mujunga denied a charge of converting criminal property. A jury found them both guilty and they were sentenced on Friday 28 February 2020.
Johnson Mujunga received two and a half years’ imprisonment and Ntolera-Mujungu was given an 18 month sentence, suspended for two years.
Cruel fraud
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Mark Newman of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: ‘This fraud was particularly cruel because the victim had recently lost a family member and he then had to pay the inheritance tax twice.
‘This couple used the money to pay off debts and pretended that it was a payment for a business transaction.
“I am pleased we have been able to track where the money went and bring those involved to justice. We will now be carrying out further enquiries under the Proceeds of Crime Act to establish whether any money can be returned.”
“I hope that this outcome gives some consolation to the victim.”
