Five police officers attached to the Kampala Metropolitan South regional command are accused of extorting $400000 (Shs 1.4 billion) from two South Korean nationals deemed as investors.

These officers, according to earlier reports, executed the scheme that saw the ‘investors’ who were in Uganda to purchase gold extorted on gunpoint at the Acacia Mall in Kamwokya, Kamapala.

The alleged scheme involves a high ranking officer Siraje Bakaleke, the Regional Police Commander (RPC) Kampala South.

Whereas it’s confirmed Bakaleke was briefly detained at the Police Standards Unit (PSU), his co-accused Isaac Munezero, the Officer in charge Crime Intelligence Katwe police station, George Kayongo, Kenneth Zirintuusa and Patrick Ochen are held at Nalufenya a ‘torture chamber’ in Jinja District.

Media reports further suggested that these Koreans who were in accompany of their lawyer only identified as Wanyoto were surrounded by police operatives, forced to handover the money as they attempted to meet the gold dealer.

They were detained at Katwe police for two days as their repatriation was being processed but hell broke loose when they missed Emirates Flight at Entebbe Airport. And as culprits planned to book RwandAir, it is at this moment that they were arrested by operatives from Flying Squad.

But how and who tipped off Flying Squad, remains unclear.

Three Koreans

TrumpetNews has since established that the Koreans are three in number not two as earlier reported. They include Ha Dongsub, Park Seunghoon and Jang Seungkwon.

Paul Wanyoto a Ugandan lawyers has been the trio’s business partner not their legal officer as some the media indicated.

The fours businessmen (Three Koreans, 1 Ugandan) this website understands agreed to open a mineral company Mckinley Resource Company Limited.

The company’s bank account was then held in Diamond Trust Bank with one Korean as a Signatory together with a Ugandan Paul Wanyoto and they operated the account independently.

The four directors began mobilising funds to run the company and they raised $480000.

Diamond Trust Bank acknowledged the cash deposit by flashing the account and sent an email to the four partners confirming.

The money was for office opening, vehicle buying, house rent ,acquiring mineral dealers license and the work permits of the Koreans.

TrumpetNews has further learnt that last Wednesday, Wanyoto withdrew $460000 and agreed with his partners.

Gold Smugglers

However, Wanyoto was shocked when Koreans rejected the initial plan agreed as justification for money.

They refused to pay for license, for work permits but chose to deal with Congolese called Maraka Carlos who had been arrested in Afganistan on suspicion of Terrorism.

They had agreed with him to use the UN Base in Entebbe to go to Congo and smuggle gold into Entebbe and thereafter Smuggle it into Hong Kong thereby cheating Government of taxes.

Paul Wanyoto, a Ugandan turned down the negotiations since his Korean partners had breached the agreement, he advised that the money he had withdrawn be returned to the bank.

Indeed $400000 was taken back to Diamond Trust (Oasis Mall branch) leaving $60000 behind.

The Koreans thus went to Munyonyo to and meet the gold dealer Maraka.

Arrests

While at Wanyoto’s office, the Koreans were surrounded by gun wielding police officers, Wanyoto wasn’t in office it’s his staff who informed him his partners had been caged.

He spoke to one of the Koreans on phone who advised that he swiftly withdraws the money from the bank as it wasn’t safe.

As advised, Wanyoto withdrew the $400000 and began processing police bond for three Koreans.

After successfully securing bond, Wanyoto handed over the money to the Koreans who agreed to leave the country for Dubai.

Police offered them a lead car on their way to Entebbe airport. Since then Wanyoto lost communications with them as their phones were off.

However, Wanyoto was dismayed when a battalion of police officers raided his home at 4am on Saturday morning to arrest and search but he wasn’t around.

He later learnt that the Koreans and a section of police officials who are accusing him of conniving with ‘dirty cops’ to fleece their funds.

He learnt later it was the Koreans and Police claiming I had connived with Police to steal money.

Wanyoto informed the Director CID Grace Akullo that won’t meet these people until my security is guaranteed and it is not civil for police to storm his residence at 4am.

He senses that the Koreans are referring to him as their lawyer not a partner to back-flip and cheat him.