Rashidah Naakayi
Motor mouthed City pastor Frankline Mondo, involved in a saucy scandal involving fraudulently acquired cash amounting to 4.5 billion shillings has on Wednesday failed to appear in court as he is battling COVID-19.
The empowerment Christian prayer center leader was supposed to appear before the Buganda Road Magistrates Court alongside his co-accused who are already facing jail time on remand at Kigo and Kitalya government prisons.
In a fully packed court, his co-accused appeared for the mention of the case via video conferencing but the vocal pastor was missing in action.
Court heard that Pastors Frankline Mondo, Margaret Nakayima aka Maggie Kayima (Nabbi Omukazi), Siraje Ssemanda, and lawyer Jimmy Arinaitwe defrauded naive Ugandans billions of shillings under the pretext of offering them jobs and scholarships abroad.
The defense Lawyer Robert Rutaro told the court that his client Mondo who is yet to be charged in court formally couldn’t turn up in court because he was waiting for a discharge certificate to prove he has cured of the deadly virus.
However, the court has still extended criminal summons to Mondo since the state had no objections.
Rutaro also asked the court to dismiss the charges against the other accused that include obtaining money by false pretense, conspiracy to commit a felony.
Still, State Attorney Elizabeth Nandala asked the court to be given more time to finalize investigations.
The court presided over by grade one magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu adjourned the fraud case to January 28, 2021.
Speaking outside the court, Rutaro insisted his clients are innocent and vowed to continue pushing the matter to superior courts of laws if they fail to get justice in the magistrates court.
