Gerald Ngabirano, a businessman from Nankuwade, Bulenga in Wakiso district, has been remanded on charges of forgery and fraud after allegedly obtaining fraudulent garnishee orders to withdraw over Shs 689 million from another businessman’s dfcu bank account.
According to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, Ngabirano and his accomplices, who are still at large, allegedly forged a national identity card and a memorandum of understanding on January 26, 2025, in Kabale district. The forged documents falsely indicated that Stephen Karekezi had taken an Shs 800 million loan from them.
Ngabirano then submitted the fabricated documents along with Karekezi’s dfcu bank account details to the Kabale High Court. Believing the documents to be genuine, Deputy Registrar Kenneth Tumwebaze issued a court order instructing dfcu Bank to release funds from Karekezi’s account.
Karekezi later reported the fraud to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, triggering an investigation that led to Ngabirano’s arrest. On Friday, he was transferred from Kampala to Kabale, where he appeared before the Chief Magistrate’s Court.
Ngabirano faces four charges, including forgery of an official document under Section 326 of the Penal Code Act, general forgery under Sections 319, 322(a), and 324, and two counts of uttering false documents under Sections 328 and 324.
He pleaded not guilty, and Senior Resident State Attorney Julie Nanjunju requested an adjournment, citing ongoing investigations. Magistrate Derrick Byamugisha remanded him to Ndorwa Government Prison until March 4, 2025.
State House Anti-Corruption Unit spokesperson Mariam Natasha confirmed that the fraudulent scheme caused financial loss to Karekezi. She also stated that the court registrar involved is under investigation and could face legal action if found complicit.
