The Kampala District Land Board chairperson, David Balondemu, has been remanded to Luzira Prison by the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court. Balondemu, along with Joseph Ibona, an accountant at Bloom Advocates, appeared before Grade One Magistrate Winnie Nankya Jatiko on charges of obtaining money by false pretense and conspiracy to defraud.
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They were charged alongside Ronald Kaweesa Tumusiime Kizito, also known as Denis, a carpenter, and lawyer Eric Geoffrey Mkwe. The prosecution alleges that between November 2022 and April 2023, at Bloom Advocates, they fraudulently obtained US Dollars 553,000 from KG Unlimited LLC by falsely promising a contract for supplying agricultural drone sprayers and fertilizers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries.
The accused individuals, including Balondemu and Ibona, have also been charged with conspiring to defraud. The prosecution, led by State Attorney Ivan Kyazze, requested an adjournment and criminal summons for Mkwe, citing ongoing inquiries. The accused denied the charges and applied for bail through their seven lawyers.
Caleb Alaka, one of the defense lawyers, highlighted Balondemu’s medical condition and requested bail, emphasizing that the charges are allegations. The defense presented sureties for both Balondemu and Ibona, but the prosecution opposed the bail application, citing potential interference with ongoing investigations.
The defense argued that the sureties were substantial, but the prosecution contended that Balondemu faced similar charges in another court and could compromise witnesses. The magistrate, Winnie Nankya Jatiko, deferred the ruling to the following Wednesday to scrutinize the bail application documents.
This recent remand follows Balondemu’s release from Luzira Prison just two weeks prior, where he had been remanded for 16 days on charges related to defrauding a Korean investor in a bogus gold deal of 2.2 billion shillings.
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