A Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officer attached to the Directorate of Operations, Land Forces, has been remanded to military custody alongside two accomplices over allegations of defrauding a foreign investor of approximately Shs13.5 billion in a gold transaction.
Maj Nicholas Ntakirwa, also known as ‘Gen James’ (Service No. RO/10262), was on Tuesday arraigned before the General Court Martial sitting in Makindye, Kampala.
He appeared alongside Mohammed Ali, a director at Duck Hunter Security Company Limited, and Trevor Besigye, a local businessman.
The trio faces charges of obtaining money by false pretences and scandalous conduct, an offence under the UPDF Act relating to behaviour prejudicial to the order, discipline and moral standing of the armed forces.
The prosecution, following a joint investigation by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), alleges that the fraud occurred between September 22 and September 29, 2025.
According to court records, the accused and others still at large allegedly obtained USD2.4 million (about Shs13 billion) from Gafar Ibrahim Mohammed Elsawi, an investor representing MAPSCO General Trading LLC.
The transaction was allegedly conducted at the offices of Duck Hunter Security Company Limited in Muyenga, Makindye Division, Kampala.
Prosecutors allege that the suspects falsely presented themselves as legitimate vendors capable of selling and exporting 30 kilogrammes of gold to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, knowing the representation to be false.
The court also heard that on September 29, 2025, the suspects allegedly obtained an additional $120,000 (more than Shs500 million) from the same investor under the pretext of settling tax obligations with the Commissioner General of the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).
The suspects denied the charges and were remanded until November 16, 2026, when the court is scheduled to reconvene for further proceedings and hearing of their bail applications.