Woman Jailed Over Shs249m Pegasus Technologies Fraud Proceeds

KAMPALA, Uganda: The Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a Kampala woman to five years in prison for knowingly receiving Shs249 million stolen from Pegasus Technologies Ltd and ordered her to repay the company in full, while forfeiting property bought with the proceeds of the crime.

Chief Magistrate Winnie Nankya Jatiko convicted Uwera Agnes of receiving stolen property under Section 294(1) of the Penal Code Act after finding that she knowingly received and used money stolen from the Ugandan technology company.

The court ordered Uwera to pay restitution of Shs249 million to Pegasus Technologies and directed that a parcel of land and a motor vehicle purchased using the stolen funds be transferred to the company.The case arose from investigations launched in 2018. Criminal charges were filed in 2022 and the trial commenced in 2024. Pegasus Technologies told the court it had lost more than Shs2.5 billion in a wider fraud scheme, although the amount linked to Uwera was about Shs249 million.

Before judgment, the defence asked the court for more time to conclude settlement negotiations with Pegasus Technologies, but the magistrate proceeded after finding that no formal settlement agreement had been signed.

During mitigation, Uwera’s lawyers asked for a non-custodial sentence, saying she was a first-time offender, a widow and the sole caregiver of three young children.

They proposed paying Shs100 million within 14 days, another Shs100 million by the end of August and the remaining Shs49 million within three months, adding that three of her land titles were already in police custody.

Pegasus Technologies opposed the proposal, arguing that it was made only after conviction.

“If the willingness to pay had been genuine, the convict had eight years to have made it good,” the company’s representative told the court.

Uwera apologised and said her earlier period on remand had changed her.

She also claimed she had been drawn into a wider criminal racket, although the court made no findings regarding the alleged involvement of other individuals.

In sentencing, Jatiko said the offence involved “calculated dishonesty” and warranted imprisonment despite the mitigating factors presented by the defence.

“The convict’s conduct demonstrates calculated dishonesty and disregard for lawful processes,” the magistrate said.

She said the sentence was intended not only to punish the offender but also to compensate the victim and deter financial crime. Uwera was informed of her right to appeal.

The judgment comes days after Jatiko took a similarly firm stance in another criminal case in which she revoked an accused person’s bail over alleged attempts to influence court proceedings.

In a ruling delivered on July 20, the magistrate said information presented to the court and “duly verified” showed that the accused had contacted individuals in senior government offices and some of the magistrate’s acquaintances in an attempt to persuade her, through intermediaries, to accept a bribe in exchange for an acquittal.

“The actions of the accused amount to a direct assault on the independence of this Court and the sanctity of judicial proceedings,” Jatiko ruled.

She said the alleged approaches amounted to harassment, compromised her personal space and raised concerns about her security, prompting her to cancel the accused’s bail and remand her until the conclusion of the trial.

The defence challenged the decision, saying it would seek bail before the High Court and had lodged a complaint against the judicial officer.

The two rulings underscore Jatiko’s approach to financial crime cases, combining custodial sentences, restitution and asset recovery while rejecting alleged attempts to influence judicial proceedings.