The State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU) has successfully intercepted a fraud attempt involving a fake government contract valued at approximately Shs18.8 billion ($4,952,000) targeting a Turkish investor, Mr. Furkan Gumran, and his company, Sirus Blue Chemical Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
According to Mr. Israel Ochwo, the Deputy Head of State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU), who addressed journalists during a press briefing on Wednesday, the scammers posed as senior government officials within the Ministry of Energy attempted to defraud Mr. Gumran through a bogus procurement deal for AD BLUE solution, a chemical used to reduce carbon emissions in automotive engines.
The suspects allegedly assigned themselves fake roles within a fabricated procurement structure. These included Dr. Charles Mulyansaka, presented as Chairman of the Special Contracts Committee; Moses Mwesigwa, who posed as Director of Procurement; Moses Seruma, introduced as a Communication and IT Specialist; and Peter Watum, who acted as the group’s Secretary.
Mr. Ochwo revealed that the scam was thwarted thanks to Mr. Gumran’s vigilance and prudence in seeking verification from the appropriate authorities before committing any funds. After contacting SH-ACU with his concerns, Mr. Gumran worked with the Unit to organize a controlled meeting at AHA Towers in Kampala, where the suspects were arrested in the act.
Mr. Ochwo commended Mr. Gumran’s actions, calling them exemplary, and urged other investors to follow the same approach when in doubt about business dealings involving government contracts. He advised all foreign investors approached with similar offers to verify the legitimacy of such proposals through SH-ACU or its sister agency, the State House Investors Protection Unit.
In a related development, Mr. Ochwo also appealed to the public to assist in locating a fugitive identified as Godfrey Ssekidde Lubowa, also known as “Maj. Gen. Sam Kiwanuka”, who is wanted for defrauding Sidari Limited, a Kenyan company, of approximately Shs751 million. The suspect allegedly used forged documents bearing the insignia of the Office of the President and the Bank of Uganda to carry out the scam.
Mr. Ochwo concluded by reaffirming SH-ACU’s dedication to protecting investors and combating fraud, encouraging members of the public to report any suspicious activity related to government contracts or impersonation of public officials.
