KAMPALA – City socialite Charles Olimu alias Sipapa has asked the court to direct the prosecution to return his property confiscated during his arrest.
Sipapa and his wife Shamirah Nakiyemba re-appeared on Thursday at the Chief Magistrate Court in Makindye on charges of aggravated robbery.
Court presided over by Esther Adikini heard that personal items belonging to Sipapa were taken by the police who arrested him and to date, they have not been returned.
Geoffrey Turyamusiima of Wameri and company advocates told the court that the police took a Home cooker, a car spraying machine, two computers, one monitor CCTV camera, a spade, 1 DVR camera, car sale agreements, car log books, $70,000 and Ugx1.5m.
Other items are seven pairs of shoes, gold chains, seven watches, the wife’s necklaces, six new Jeep lights, and the receipts of all the properties that were purchased by Sipapa.
Turyamusiima noted that he did not know for how long they would keep the property for purposes of investigations. According to Sipapa, some of the personal items had not been registered on the list of exhibits – making him draw a conclusion that the police had stolen his unlisted items.
But the prosecution led by Harriet Adong in response said that the items listed by Sipapa’s lawyer are part of the evidence. She added that the CCTV camera was being analysed by the police forensic team.
Adong also told the court that they can’t return the car logbooks to Sipapa since they are not in his name. She said that the authorities were tracing the owners of the cars.
Adong adjourned the case to February 27 for committal.
The Prosecution alleges that Sipapa and Nakiyemba and others still at large during the night of August 29, 2022 at Bunga Kawuku Makindye Division in Kampala district robbed six South Sudan nationals of different items as well as cash.
One of the victims Jacob Arok Mul was reportedly robbed of $429,000 (about Ugx1.6b), two mobile phones, an iPhone silver blue in colour valued at $3,200, a Samsung, and a Flat Screen TV 75 inches valued at $4,000.
It is alleged that on the same night, they robbed Mary Ateng of an iPhone 12 Pro Max Gold in Colour valued at Ugx5m, a Golden belt, and a Golden chain – both total valued at $10,000 (about 38m), and two gold rings valued at $500.
The prosecution further alleges that the couple and others still at large robbed Chol Ateng of an iPhone 11 Pro Dark Green in colour valued at Ugx800, 000, a Dell laptop, a charger valued at $1,000, and Ugx500, 000. The suspects further robbed Deng Arok of an Apple Macbook Air Laptop valued at Ugx5m and an iPhone valued at Ugx5m.
At the home of another victim Abig Yar, Sipapa and his wife allegedly stole a laptop and an iPhone all valued at Ugx5. They also robbed James Manyok of Ugx400, 000.
Prosecution alleges that Sipapa and his wife reportedly used a substance that made all their victims unconscious – simplifying the act on of a robbery onto all his victims.
