Mike Ezra-Katusiime row deepens

MONEYBAGS: Ezra displays $1 million to journalists last month. FILE PHOTO

Mike Ezra Mulyoowa, the man police say is wanted, has described as “hoax” his purported summon for issuing a bounced cheque to Kampala businessman Frank Katusiime.

In a telephone interview on Friday, Mr Mulyoowa acknowledged he last year received from Mr Katusiime Shs800 million, which at the time was an equivalent $400, 000, and is willing to reimburse it.

Our investigations show that Mr James Safari deposited the money on the account of Sunspace International Ltd Company with the Kenya Commercial Bank in Kampala in three installments.

The first payment on January 19 was of Shs300 million and Mr Safari returned the next day to make two additional deposits of Shs300 million and Shs200 million, respectively on account number 030-290003617. Mr Mulyoowa admits he is a co-director of Sunspace International.

Unpaid taxes
What began as confidential cash transaction, according to the parties, was thrust into the public domain after Mr Mulyoowa’s $500, 000 cheque to Mr Katusiime to be cashed at Stanbic Bank bounced.

Mr Mulyoowa said the cheque was not cleared because Uganda Revenue Authority, which he owes some Shs1.6 billion in unpaid taxes, had frozen transactions on all his accounts – but not due to liquidity shortfall. Clearance of the government money is being sorted by his and lawyers of URA, he said.

On Thursday, police declared Mr Mulyoowa a wanted man for disobeying “several summons” after he allegedly issued two bounced cheques worth Shs2 billion to Mr Katusiime and his South African-based brother, Dr Charles Mushabe.

They warned the public against dealing with him and asked to be informed of his whereabouts so detectives can arrest him on sight.

“I’m not aware about any summon, and I am operating freely,” Mr Mulyoowa said, adding: “Those who know me will continue dealing with me. This is a ploy by detractors to portray me as a hoodlum, which I’m not and I keep records of all my transactions.”

Wanted man
Ms Grace Akullo, the acting commandant of the new Special Investigations Unit, said on Friday that they have criminals summons for Mr Mulyoowa for issuing “bounced cheques” but have failed to find him.

“Where is he?” she said. “As a law-abiding citizen, let him report to police since he now knows police are looking for him. We would receive him with pleasure.”

That’s a matter for his attorney Mr Muzamiru Kibeedi to handle for now, Mr Mulyoowa said. Ms Akullo, who is heading investigations into the case, had said police can issue criminal summons verbally, in writing or through print media.

The accused and the accuser, in telephone interviews on Friday, offered varying account of the same transactions that has drawn a wedge between them and exposed the multi-million deal gone-bad.

It’s a tale of desperation apparently met with generosity played dramatically now in contested cross-border transactions running from South Africa through Germany to Kampala.

A suspected criminal footprint of the deal has sucked in Ugandan diplomats in Berlin and German police to hunt for one Andrew Shawn Kirya, a Ugandan national alleged to have vanished after receiving cash wired by Dr Mushabe from South Africa.

“Yes we received a consular complaint and we have through diplomatic channels asked authorities here to investigate and it is ongoing,” a senior diplomat in Berlin said by telephone on condition of anonymity.

Mr Mulyoowa says Mr Katusiime and his brother Mushabe approached him with an idea of pooling funds to erect a new facility at Kololo, a Kampala suburb, for a leading private health service provider. But he told them he still had tax liabilities with URA which constrains him from investing in the country upon which he was “advised” on “how to go around” the albatross.

Thus Mr Katusiime used another person (Mr Safari) to deposit the money on his KCB account while Dr Mushabe allegedly had to transfer his approximately $300,000 contribution using forex bureaux to wire money in smaller amounts to different recipients.

The monies, he said, eventually all ended in the hands of one Mr Kirya in Germany after it was planned the fund would be sent to Uganda as if it was a loan facility from an European bank.
“The truth is they were dodging to pay taxes, and they now want to make as much money out of me because they have proved that Ezra has money,” he said. “They wanted to embarrass me in the media but I am used to such smear campaign because different people did it to me in 2006.”

In his account, separately corroborated by his aide Capt. Jackson Kyalikunda, Mr Mulyoowa said he on three different occasions – the latest being on August 26 - tried to cash Mr Katusiime $500, 000 (Shs1.1b) but the latter declined.

“Rubbish! How could I refuse to receive money when all I want is my money,” Mr Katusiime said. He added: “Do you think I am mad or unreasonable? Ezra needed help so bad and he knows it. That’s why I helped him and asked somebody to deposit the money since I was not in Kampala.”

When contacted in South Africa by telephone, Dr Mushabe said he was in a meeting and would return our call, but he had not done so by press time.

Who’s fooling who?
It would be difficult to know who of the two is telling or hiding the truth, but the deepening rift between them is clear – and worsening.

That notwithstanding, Mr Mulyoowa said his offer of $650, 000 (Shs1.5b) to the Uganda Cranes team if they qualify in their the African Cup of Nations bid stands, and he will top the prize with a $50, 000 (Shs112 million) bonus.

Asked when he would return to Uganda if he isn’t on the run, Mr Mulyoowa replied; “When there is need. I don’t have much to do in Uganda except spend money”.