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Uganda Red Cross chief denies charges as posh Harare properties seized
By Staff Reporter & Agencies
The Secretary General of the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) Robert Kwesiga has denied corruption allegations after two properties he owns in Harare, Zimbabwe were seized by local authorities.
In a May 15 ruling the High Court in Harare gave Kwesiga and his wife 30 days to explain the source of income used to purchase the Mt Pleasant and Vainona houses, failing with the properties would be forfeited by the State.
Kwesiga worked for the Danish Red Cross in Zimbabwe between 2007 and 2013. His family acquired the properties in 2012.
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe preferred charges against Kwesiga and wife after suspecting that the money used to buy the properties was obtained through illegitimate means.
Commenting on the High Court ruling, the prosecutor general’s office said, “In another victory in the fight against crime and corruption, a Uganda couple is on the brink of being stripped of its properties worth $300,000 in Mt Pleasant and Vainona after being ordered by the High Court to explain how they acquired the houses.
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The couple has 30 days to satisfactorily explain how they managed to purchase those homes or risk them being declared tainted and subsequently forfeited to the state. In addition, they or anyone acting on their behalf is restrained from disposing of the property until the order is varied or set aside by the court.”
The Prosecutor-General said there are reasonable grounds for “suspecting that the couple was involved in serious crime as their lawful income was insufficient to enable them to lawfully acquire the properties.”
“In absence of a paper trail reflecting the origin and movement of the money that was used to purchase both houses only further compounded the suspicions of the State.”
However, Kwesiga denied the allegations and insisted that the properties were acquired using legally obtained funds.
“Since this is a matter before the court in Zimbabwe, I can’t say much but to allow the court process to proceed without jeopardy. What I can say is we acquired the property in 2012 through authentic and legal procedures with legitimate income. I was working as an expatriate with diplomatic accreditation from 2005–2013,” Kwesiga said.
He added that although the court decision was a shocker to him and his wife, the family had shared the documents that the court wants, with his lawyers, who will then submit them to the court.
“This is not a judgment. The judge asked for documents to accompany the property in question, and these were shared with the lawyers. This came as a shocker to us, but our legal team is handling it, and we await the final verdict,” he said.
The spokesperson for the Uganda Red Cross Society, Irene Nakasiita, said the case nothing to do with the organisation.
“However, concerning the story you talked about, Robert acquired that property while working in Zimbabwe so many years ago and, therefore, this has nothing to do with his current role as Secretary General of the Uganda Red Cross Society,” she said.