KAMPALA – The Nakawa Chief Magistrate Court heard on Friday that businessman Shukla Mukesh accessed his passport earlier this month without proper authorization. Mukesh, who is facing charges of obtaining money by false pretences, had promised to return to court on June 23, 2024, but failed to do so.
Mukesh, who previously contested for the Nakawa West parliamentary seat, is charged alongside Judith Ayebare, manager of Shumuk Investments Limited, and Dharamdip Kadikar, accountant for Shumuk Group of Companies. The charges include obtaining money by false pretences and conspiracy to defraud.
Senior State Attorney Mariam Kluthum, from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), expressed concern over the circumstances under which Mukesh obtained his passport. “The accused took his passport without the knowledge of the prosecution team, claiming he needed to travel abroad for surgery, but he did not. I request that his passport be deposited in court,” Kluthum stated.
Kluthum argued that Mukesh did not follow the correct procedure to access his passport. “Mukesh was supposed to make a formal application in court, to which I would respond. Then the magistrate would deliver a verdict on whether to grant the passport or not,” she explained. Following directives from Chief Magistrate Erias Kakooza, the passport was retained by the court.
On June 28, 2024, the court learned that Mukesh had refused to engage in mediation with Alvi Auto Village Limited to resolve their dispute amicably. Consequently, the case will proceed to trial. In a previous court session, Kluthum informed the court that the investigations were complete and the prosecution was ready to proceed if Mukesh did not settle the debt. Mukesh is currently out on a cash bail of Shs10 million.
The charges against Mukesh, Ayebare, and Kadikar include obtaining money by false pretences, which carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment upon conviction, and conspiracy to defraud, which can result in a three-year jail term. The charges fall under sections 304, 305, and 309 of the Penal Code Act.
The allegations state that between November 2020 and November 2021, in Banda and Nakawa Industrial Area in Kampala, Mukesh obtained Shs221 million from Alvi Auto Village Limited by falsely claiming he was leasing two plots of land to the company. The court has adjourned the case to July 29, 2024.
