Interpol cracks down on forged security certificates

Kampala. The directorate of the International Police, commonly known as Interpol, says it is casting its net wider in an effort to clamp down on a “criminal gang” forging government documents issued by the authority.
In operations this week, two suspects were arrested for allegedly forging the highly demanded “Certificate of Good Conduct” that Interpol issues and are due to appear in court.
Interpol director Fred Yiga called the act a “shame”, “embarrassment” and “an abomination” and said it was tarnishing the image of the country. He rallied all the people in the country to condemn the act.
Just last month, sources told this newspaper, that Interpol had apprehended more than 10 people with forged certificates.
It is these that the Force used to obtain information about the gang.
Those who forge the certificates, it is reported, charge between ShsShs300,000 and Shs1m. Most of the people who have fallen victim to the fraudsters are those who need the document quickly or are unwilling to go through Interpol’s rigorous and sometimes slow process.
The same certificate costs, in total, Shs64,000 from Interpol headquarters in Kampala, albeit with delays and frustrations during the process to determine one’s criminal record.
The latest crackdown started when a concerned citizen (name withheld), who had returned to Uganda for a brief holiday from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, sought to help his relatives get the certificates.
“However, before I came to Interpol, I met a friend of mine who told me that he could process for me the Interpol certificate from Kololo faster since he had more idea about Interpol than I did. I then asked him to help my five relatives obtain Interpol certificates,” the concerned citizen says.
He adds: “After two days, my friend brought me the said certificates at my home. So, as a concerned person, I received the certificate and brought it to Interpol in Kololo for verification,” he adds.