Ugandan socialite Sulaiman Kabangala (SK) Mbuga, Jalia Birungi alias Vivienne Chebet is wanted in Sweden for Shs 23 billion fraud.
According to Swedish newspaper Expressen, Birungi allegedly conned Swedish retired politician Sten Heinsoo of 53 million Krona (about Shs 23 billion) in a botched gold deal.
Sten Heinsoo revealed that he had wired the money to Birungi to transport gold from Uganda to Sweden.
Suspicions, according to Expressen, have led the police to “one of Uganda’s most famous jet races – property mogul Sulaiman “SK” Mbuga, 34, and his wife Angella Vivienne Chebet, 33.”
According to the paper, Sten Heinsoo was last week charged with gross negligence after the Rank Family, a company he worked for over decades filed a court case of fraud by its advisor and former director, Heinsoo.
Vivienne Chebet (Jalia Birungi) – a Swedish citizen – was charged by the Stockholm District Court for several cases of gross fraud against Heinsoo.
In 2016, Mbuga and Vivienne got married in Kampala in a luxurious wedding that reportedly cost over Shs 3 billion.
The wedding is said to have taken place two weeks after Sten Heinsoo wired the last installment of the money to Uganda in November 2016.
Thousands of guests attended the event and in advance a Rolls-Royce Phantom and Uganda’s first Ferrari had been purchased as “wedding cars”.
Vivienne Chebet migrated to Sweden from Uganda in 2011 and resided in Stockholm.
According to Expressen, Sten Heinsoo revealed to court that he had met Vivienne at a church where she worked as a personal assistant and the duo developed a relationship.
Heinsoo is said to have explained to the police that he wanted to help a female acquaintance who claimed that she had inherited a large chunk of gold from a wealthy father in Uganda. Transporting the inheritance to Sweden was associated with high costs and Heinsoo offered to help.
Vivienne Birungi who Expressen refers to as ‘Chebet’, traveled to Uganda on the pretext that she would arrange for the “on-site logistics.”
In Uganda, she lived a glamorous life but kept Sten Heinsoo hopeful by sending love text messages.
When Heinsoo was released, he admitted that he had been tricked.
Prosecutor Mathias Lidberg did not comment on what efforts are being made for Vivienne aka Chebet to be brought to justice in Sweden, but he says:
“In this case there is a person who is prosecuted. Then it is, of course, important to get that person brought to trial in Sweden. And if someone is detained in utevaro for probable reasons, you will definitely want to get that person.”
When the police held the first hearing, Heinsoo believed that the gold was in New York and would soon be transported to Stockholm by diplomatic flight.
Vivienne who is at large denies the crimes, says her lawyer.
Sweden court has reportedly sent a request to Uganda for legal assistance to arrest and try Jalia Birungi, but the country has no extradition agreement with Uganda.
