Socialite and businessman Christian Asiimwe, popularly known as Don Chris, has been remanded to Luzira Prison after pleading not guilty to 127 counts of obtaining money by false pretences in an alleged Shs725.6 million overseas job recruitment scam.
Asiimwe, the director of Sky Pins Tours and Travel Company, appeared unrepresented before Senior Principal Magistrate Grade One Nicholas Aisu at the City Hall Court in Kampala. Facing seven separate charge sheets, the accused remained calm and composed in a packed courtroom filled with distressed job seekers, maintaining steady eye contact with the bench as the lengthy charges were read out to him.
State prosecutors Benjamin Amanya, Mercy Yamangusho, and Miriam Akite informed the court that police inquiries into the matter were fully concluded.
“Investigations in the matter are complete,” the prosecution told court, prompting Magistrate Aisu to set September 21, 2026, for the official commencement of the hearing.
According to the prosecution, Asiimwe and others still at large operated out of the Sky Pins Tours and Travel office in Ntinda, Nakawa Division, between 2023 and 2025. The suspects allegedly solicited funds from hundreds of job seekers under the false promise of securing international employment in destinations including Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Qatar, and the United States.
Individual complainants paid sums ranging between Shs1 million and Shs10 million depending on the promised destination. Among the specific counts, prosecution details that Shs10 million and Shs9.2 million were obtained from two separate victims promised jobs in Canada, while another victim paid Shs7.2 million for a promised placement in Luxembourg. The total sum across the 126 financial counts stands at Shs725.68 million, after correcting an apparent typographical error in one charge sheet where a figure written numerically as Shs7.7 billion was described in words as Shs7.7 million.
The suspect was arrested on August 27, 2026, at a entertainment venue in Zana, Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipality, following an extensive police operation. Detectives previously revealed that over 500 alleged victims have recorded statements regarding the recruitment scheme. The charges brought under Section 285 of the Penal Code Act carry a penalty for obtaining money under false pretences, though Asiimwe remains presumed innocent until proven guilty. He will return to court on September 21 for trial.