25 Ugandans on Interpol Red List

The Police has said at least 25 Ugandans are on the red list of International Criminal Police Organization –Interpol for committing transnational crimes.

Charles Birungi, the Acting director Uganda National Central Bureau commonly known as Interpol said in an interview that 25 persons are currently on the list of wanted persons.

Birungi said the suspects have their images shared to all the 190 Interpol member countries meaning they can be arrested at any time their images and person data is detected by security systems of various countries.

A person becomes wanted when he commits a crime in his mother country or in another country but afterwards goes into hiding. In order to appear on the Interpol red notice, it is the country in which the crime was committed that takes the initiative to inform all member states.

After a notification is generated, it is accompanied with particulars of the crime the person is alleged to have committed as well as his individual data that comprises of age, skin colour, height, body features and travel history.

Birungi explains that first, it is the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) or Directorate of Public Prosecution [DPP] to open or sanction a case file against the accused person. Afterwards, DPP or CID informs Interpol in order to obtain an international warrant of arrest.

Although Birungi does not disclose particulars of crimes the wanted persons allegedly committed, we understand that a number of them are suspected to have participated in the killings and a host of other crimes.

“Some of these wanted persons have repeatedly involved themselves in cyber crimes. They have hacked telecoms, banks and ministries. They have been doing the same vices for more four years but bringing them back here has been a problem” a police source said.

The biggest cybercrime of 2020 was the unauthorised access, electronic fraud and theft of approximately 11 billion shillings from Pegasus Technologies, Stanbic Bank, Bank of Africa, MTN Uganda and Airtel Uganda which are still being investigated under case references CID headquarters E 329/2020, E 332 /2020, E 330/2020, E 331/2020 and GEF 998/2020.

Birungi said that the list of wanted persons is updated every five years and cannot be released now because some of those wanted might take advantage and change some of their travel documents or from their current locations. He adds that if the person on the wanted list is not arrested within five years, DPP or CID must write again expressing needed to keep the person on Interpol red notice. URN