Kampala, Uganda – Renowned Ugandan lawyer Twebaze Drake has been remanded to Luzira Prison on charges of obtaining money by false pretenses, conspiracy to defraud, and forgery.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The charges stem from a complex scam involving forged government procurement documents that targeted a US-based firm, KG Unlimited LLC.
According to the charges, Twebaze and his accomplices allegedly obtained $553,500 from Talib Antonio McDowell, a representative of KG Unlimited LLC, by falsely claiming that the money was necessary for a statutory compliance fee.
The alleged scam involved a non-existent single-source bidding process for supplying a water plant to the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries, and Fisheries.
Investigators revealed that the alleged bidding process never existed, and Twebaze, a partner at Nzige, Jamero & Co. Advocates (also known as Wilberforce Kabatsi), is implicated in the scam.
The court heard that Twebaze and his co-conspirators forged official documents, including a letter purportedly authored by the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), to legitimize their claims and gain the victim’s trust.
Twebaze was formally charged alongside four others: David Balondemu, Chairperson of the Kampala District Land Board; Joseph Ibona, an unlicensed accountant at Bloom Advocates; Geoffrey Mkwe alias Ivan Muhiire, a lawyer at the same firm; and Martin Kasenge, alias Dr. Alfred Musinguzi, a businessman.
The case, which is a joint operation between the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), and the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), highlights the government’s efforts to crack down on corruption and white-collar crime.
Twebaze has been remanded to Luzira Prison until June 13, 2025, for a court mention, pending further proceedings in the case involving allegations of obtaining money by false pretenses, conspiracy to defraud, and forgery.