Court grants Gashumba bail

Kampala businessman and social critic Frank Gashumba, businessman Innocent Kasumba and Tour and travel guide officer Ismail Kiyingi have been jointly charged with fraud.

Gashumba also known as Frank Ssenyondo Disans, Kasumba also known as Simon Mutabazi and Kiyingi were on Monday arraigned before Chief Magistrates Court at Buganda Road and they denied the charges.
Appearing before the fully packed courtroom, the charges were read to the suspects in absence of a prosecutor given the fact that prosecutors have been on strike since last month.
The charges include impersonation, forgery, unlawful possession of narcotic drugs and conspiracy to commit a felony.

Gasumba applied for bail which was granted at Shs20 million not cash after presenting MP Josepph Sewungu, Emmanuel Musoke (Former District chairman of Kalungu) and city businessman John Ssebaggala.
His co-accused also presented three sureties each and the presiding Chief Magistrate James Ereemye Mawanda granted them bail.
Gashumba has been in detention since last Monday when he was arrested by the Military Intelligence after he went to the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) headquarters in Mbuya to check on Kasumba who had earlier been arrested at the weekend for impersonating Ministry of Defence officials.

Lt Col Deo Akiiki told a press conference that Mr Gashumba and his brother had been meeting foreign companies, claiming that Ministry of Defence had outsourced them to procure hundreds of trucks for UPDF.
“The arrest of the duo followed a whistleblower’s report to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence about a group that was planning to fleece an investor disguising as Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs [officials],” he said.

After Mr Kasumba’s arrest, a search was later conducted at his home and recovered Mr Gashumba’s forged passport in the name of Frank Ssentongo Disans.
The UPDF also paraded cocaine, marijuana, 20 stamps in names of Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Fisheries and Stanbic Bank from Mr Kasumba’s home.
He had earlier escaped a siege by the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force at Tulip Hotel in Nakasero where he was meeting the said investor.

“As luck would have it, on October 29, Frank Gashumba turned up at CMI with his lawyer friend one Nsamba Geoffrey to follow up his brother and was arrested to explain the reason and source of multiple identification documents under his name, and relationship with Flagship Group under which the investor was to be defrauded,” Lt Col Akiiki said.
The Military intelligence also later searched Mr Gashumba’s office where they recovered his second passport in the names of Franko Gashumba Malimungu.

Lt Col Akiiki dismissed earlier reports that Mr Gashumba’s arrest was connected to the case of the police officers who were charged in court martial on Friday for kidnapping Lt Joel Mutabazi, the former bodyguard of President Paul Kagame, in 2013.
Mr Gashumba runs Sisimuka Uganda, a civil organisation where he sensitises Ugandans about government excesses and failures.