MTN mobile money boss deported

Kampala- Government last evening confirmed the arrest and deportation of Ms Elsa Mussolini, the MTN mobile money general manager, after police authorities grilled her for at least four hours in connection with alleged incitement to violence.

Ms Mussolini and her colleague, Mr Anthony Katamba, the general manager corporate services and chief legal counsel at MTN, were summoned to Kireka at 2pm and were separately grilled by detectives at Special Investigations Division (SID) under the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
After government deported two MTN employees to Rwanda and France, on allegations of compromising national security, the CID deputy director in charge of special investigations, Mr Elly Womanya, wrote to MTN managers inviting then to SID “without fail” to assist security in the on-going investigations into alleged incitement of violence. Mr Womanya quoted section 51 and 83 of Penal Code Act.

In a January letter to Ms Musolini (sic) titled; “Alleged incitement to violence contrary to section 51& 83 penal code act” Mr Womanya wrote: “Investigations are being conducted into the above underlined allegation of which some employees of MTN (U) Ltd are a subject are a subject of these investigations…”

Security sources told this newspaper that Ms Mussolini and Mr Katamba appeared at SID on the same day.
Mr Katamba’s fate, however, remains unclear.

Police take
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga confirmed Ms Mussolini’s deportation to Italy and explained that investigations into incitement to violence were still on-going.

Mr Enanga, however, did not provide any context on the alleged crime.
“A decision has been taken to deport Ms Mussolini for incitement to violence” Mr Enanga said, adding: “Investigations are still ongoing on why they participated in incitement to violence. The SID has several leads that they are following in this case.”

Police authorities on Monday deported Olivier Prentout, a French national, and Ms Annie Tabura, a Rwandan, to their respective countries.

More searches
Police sources told this newspaper that they are looking for more MTN employees suspected to have participated in inciting violence.

With police authorities and other security agencies unwilling to disclose wider details of the alleged crime, we could not independently establish how and when MTN employees incited violence.

By press time last evening, it was also not clear why the suspects were not arraigned in court to face trial.

Penal code act provisions on inciting violence

51 Incitement to violence.
(1) Any person who, without lawful excuse, prints, publishes or to any assembly makes any statement indicating or implying that it would be incumbent or desirable—
(a) to do any acts calculated to bring death or physical injury to any person or to any class or community of persons; or
(b)to do any acts calculated to lead to destruction or damage to any property, commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for three years.
(2) A person shall not be prosecuted for an offence under this section without the written consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
(3)For the purpose of this section, “assembly” means a gathering of three or more persons.
83. Incitement to violence.
(1) Any person who incites any other person to do an act of violence against any person by reason of his or her race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, creed or sex or office commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), “office” means the office of a Minister of the Government, a member of Parliament or a councillor, a public office, employment in the service of the administration of a district or the council or board of a municipality or town, any religious office and employment as a director, officer or other official in or by anybody corporate established by or under the auspices of or controlled by the Government.