Grade One Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu of Buganda Road Magistrates Court has Wednesday issued its criminal summons to Pastor Franklin Mondo of Empowerment Christian Centre Church International.
Mondo is facing charges of fraud along with two other pastors, Margaret Nakayima alias Maggie Kayima (Nabbi Omukazi), Siraje Ssemanda and a Lawyer Jimmy Arinaitwe the Director of Hands Across the World Initiative Uganda Limited.
On Wednesday, Kamasanyu heard that Mondo had tested positive for COVID-19, forcing her to extend the summons Court had issued in December 2020.
According to Robert Rutaro the defence lawyer, his client tested positive for coronavirus late last month and is still on treatment.
He therefore requested for an extension of the criminal summons something that was not objected by the State Attorney Elizabeth Nandala.
The magistrate adjourned the case to January 28, 2021, and extended the summons until then.
Pastor Mondo’s co-accused have been on remand in Kitalya and Kigo prisons respectively on charges of obtaining money by false pretence and conspiring to commit fraud since last month.
It is alleged that Nakayima commonly known alias Nabbi Omukazi together with Siraje Ssemanda and Lawyer Jimmy Arinaitwe the Director of Hands Across the World Initiative Uganda Limited obtained money by false pretence and conspired to commit fraud.
It is also alleged that Pastor Mondo, and others still at large falsely obtained more than one billion shillings from eleven people on different occasions by pretending that their organization Hands Across the World Initiative Uganda Limited would construct churches for the pastors, houses for the needy, offer scholarships and educate the needy children in the community from whose parents the money was collected which was not true.
The money was reportedly collected from parents in places of Bombo Luwero, Tororo, Iganga, Kaliro and Kampala Districts between 2014 and 2020.
