Kampala District Land Board Chairperson, David Balondemu, a lawyer, has been remanded to Luzira prison by Kampala City Hall court.
Balondemu faces charges of swindling a Korean Investor, Hyun Uk Kim, out of $600,000 in a fraudulent gold deal. With three others the lawyer, allegedly duped Kim by falsely claiming to sell 53Kgs of gold.
The arrest came from a complaint by Kim to the State House Anti-corruption unit, alleging substantial financial losses due to dishonest dealings in Kampala.
Balondemu, is believed to have used his lawyer knowledge to craft a shrewd scheme that won over the Korean Investor.
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Appearing before Grade One Magistrate Edgar Karakire, Balondemu denied charges of obtaining money by false pretenses.
Despite attempts to secure bail based on health concerns, presented by three defense lawyers, , the magistrate ordered his remand in Luzira prison until November 6th, pending a bail determination.
Balondemu now joins his co-suspects, James Mugisha and Godfrey Maviri, who are already in custody. The prosecution indicates that investigations into the case, which occurred between August and November 2021, are still ongoing.
The investor was introduced to the deal by Mugisha James Jeff who knew the alleged gold seller. It is said that during all interactions, Maviri was always in the company of the gold ‘seller’.