Stanbic Bank managers arrested for aiding theft of Shs6.6 billion

Police in Kampala Metropolitan have arrested nine people who connived with Stanbic Bank officials, stealing Shs6.6 billion from one of the bank’s customers.

Facts gathered by police indicate that between January and February 2023, on the advice and direction of managers from Stanbic Bank, the suspects withdrew funds using forged documents including a Kenyan passport number AK 0849025 and forged account transfer forms, all in the names of Mohamed Abdul Hakim Hussein.

Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, highlighted that Mohamed Abdul Hakim Hussein was a director and signatory to an account belonging to Nile Energy.

He added that the group conspired with the selected Stanbic Bank staff from Garden City and Freedom City branches, who aided the transactions of the funds.

“They compromised the account of Nile Energy and effected transactions in Inter Account Transfers and made withdraws using three accounts. The deal was able to go through after the two bank managers were able to hack into the account of Nile Energy to authorize the account to pay money to three different accounts and in bits,” he noted.

With the use of the forged documents, Enanga explained that six transactions were made which included $495000, $287000, $295000, $90,000, $60,000, $295000 and $495000.

Once the defrauding deal was complete, the funds were later transferred to account number 9030012835107 in the name of Dixon Kagurusi Ampumuza, 9030021572615 in the name of Petrom Limited and 9030018628871 under the name of Femane Investments Company Limited.

“Our investigations indicated that the accounts Petron Limited belong to Oscar Kyabukasa Lutaaya and Hushur Rahman as directors, whereas Farmane Investments Company Limited  is owned by Oman Ghebreysus, Fiona Dede Bwende and Elijah Daniel Wanzu as directors at Freedom City and Garden City branches of Stanbic bank,”

Upon their arrest on February 3, 2023, one Robel Tefera, an Eritrean refugee was intercepted with two inter-account transfer forms with a face value of   988,200 that was to be withdrawn from the Nile Energy Account and later credited to the account of Dixon Kagurusi Ampumuza.

This resulted in an interrogation of the Eritrean refugee, who revealed that on February 2, 2023, he was called by one Shivan who instructed him to link up with one Derrick at Garden City for a contract at a construction site and after the meeting, he was asked to drop some documents to the bank manager named Moses, to which he obliged and the following day, he was called to report to the bank where he was arrested from.

Police have confirmed the arrest of Robert Tefera, Moses Ayesiga, the branch manager for Stanbic Bank Garden City branch, Brian Natukunda, a former employee of the bank, Oman Ghebreyesus, Fiona Dede Bwende, Elijah Wanzu and Davis Ssekitto and the bank manager for Stanbic Freedom City branch.