Uganda Police on Friday opened investigations into the missing 210kg of gold that were entrusted to a Ugandan Security company Quantico Security Limited for safe-keeping in December 2021 by a Congolese national but went missing under controversial circumstances.
We’ve learnt that the Mineral Police has recorded a statement from the Congolese national, Mireille Mnengu, and opened a case (file number GEF/089/022) of obtaining goods by false pretense against officials of Quantico Security, Joseph Kalisa and Victor Sam.
The probe was under the directive of senior Police bosses after Mnengu petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Okoth Ochola, to come to her aid, investigate and help her recover missing gold estimated at $9m (sh33b).
On June 3, New Vision highlighted the plight of Mnengu and indicated how frustrated she had been with Quantico officials.
Sources at the Police said the detective would question the company to determine who gave them the mandate to venture into the gold business and whether they had the requisite paperwork to do so.
The same Quantico company was under investigation in another similar case where a state minister was similarly conned of millions of shillings.
Uganda Revenue Authority
The Uganda Revenue Authority had also picked interest in the matter to probe whether the company had paid the relevant taxes.
In her letter to the IGP, copied to the director of operations in the Uganda Police Force, Edward Ochom and director crime intelligence Brig. Charles Ddamulira, Mnengu said she, together with her husband, Kinengu Makueyi, handed the gold to Quantico Security Limited on December 10, 2021 for deposit in Kampala from Bunagana and paid all the relevant charges for storage.
Gold (courtesy photo)
However, their efforts to get the gold have proved futile.
Mnengu speaks out
Mnengu claims in her letter that together with her husband, they entered a shipment and security arrangement with a licensed private security company, Quantico Security Limited, to manage the shipment of a consignment from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), starting at the Uganda-DRC border at Bunagana/Kisoro up to Kampala for onward export to Dubai using a custom licensed clearing and forwarding firm of their choice.
The goods were meant to be in transit and for a while, the contracted company, Quantico Security Company with her agents, have been telling me that the goods are in transit and were entered into the customs system.
Every effort to have my goods has proved futile as they keep on putting in place financial conditions, such as URA taxes, a value I cannot afford as they don’t have any tax assessment for the same, she said.
Without any knowledge of the procedure of exporting gold from Uganda, we had lots of trust in this security company, who eventually identified a clearing agent.
We have so far spent five months without knowing what to do about recovering these goods, 210kg gold bars and how to go forward on legitimate export on clear and legal way.
Security company comments
Kalisa acknowledged receipt of the gold and admitted that Mnengu paid the storage charges but that the gold has since been given to the rightful owner, who he claimed is called Mwami Kalimbiro Kalinda.
