Police hold three over defrauding Turkish firm

The police are holding three individuals including a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldier for allegedly defrauding a Turkish firm of 15,120 bags of fertilisers worth $540,000 (Shs2b).

The suspects were arrested on Saturday in an operation that was conducted by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (Shacu) in collaboration with Uganda Police Force.

Five others were also arrested in the same operation but were later released on police bond.

Shacu spokesperson Mariam Natasha Oduka told reporters at the Container Village yesterday the arrests followed a complaint filed by the firm, Iskenderun Fertilizers Inc, alleging that the trio and others defrauded them last year.

Ms Oduka said a case was registered and investigations kicked off.

She said the complainant company alleged that between May 2023 and September, 2023, while using a company, Kureha (U) Ltd and purporting to be subsidiary of Kureha Corporation Japan, the suspects and others still at large duped Iskenderun into sending 28 containers, each containing 540 bags each of fertilisers to Uganda. 

Upon receipt of the goods, the suspects allegedly stopped communicating with directors of the Turkish company and put the fertilisers on market for sale.

She added that the suspects told them that the goods were sold to merchants in the Container Village and other areas including Natete and Ndeeba (both Kampala suburbs), and Masaka.

“The reason why we are here is to ask these merchants to peacefully hand-over the fertiliser,” she said.

She added: “Some of the suspects who were released are merchants from this area (Container Village) who were found in possession of this fertilisers named Iskenderun.”

Ms Oduka said they are still searching for more suspects. She added that a portion of the goods were recovered.

The chairperson of the Nakivubo Fertiliser Dealers’ Association, Mr Joy Mayanja Kato, asked the merchants to willingly return the fertiliser or risk losing their businesses.

“The officers know all [the people] who have these products, and the people who were arrested [who include] your fellow merchants and those who sold to you have already told police and State House everything, so it is upon you to bring those goods because failure will lead to closer of all businesses that deal in fertilisers,” he said.