Pastor Franklin Mugisha Mondo, the lead preacher of Empowerment Christian Centre International is on the run, after court issuing an arrest warrant on him.
Pastor Mondo is battling 53 counts related to obtaining money by false pretence and conspiracy to commit a felony. The accused allegedly conned pastors and private school directors over Shs4 billion.
During a court session on Thursday, Buganda Road’s Chief Magistrate, Gladys Kamasanyu issued a warrant of arrest for Mondo after the pastor failed to show up in court for plea taking and neither his lawyer, Mr Robert Lutaro was in present.
“Since criminal summons were extended on January 28 in agreement that his counsel brings him (Mondo) today but, in vain, a warrant of arrest is hereby issued to compel him to come to court,” Kamasanyu said.
Mondo is charged with obtaining money by false pretence and conspiring with Pastor Siraj Ssemanda, the lead preacher of Revival Church Bombo, who is currently under police custody.
Other suspects in the case include singer Margaret Nakayima aka Nabbi Omukazi, Jimmy Arinaitwe, the director of Hands Across the World Initiative Uganda Limited, who are also on remand.
During the recent hearing held on January 28, Mondo’s lawyer told court that his client had not shown up because he had been taken to South Africa to get treatment for Covid-19.
To everyone’s surprise, the troubled pastor recorded an audio saying that he took off from the country because there are mafias within The State House Anti-Corruption Unit who want to kill him, citing it as the reason why he went into hiding in South Africa.
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