Simpson Birungi, the troubled Movit tycoon that continues to be in ISO/CMI detention, had prior to his arrest reached out to President Museveni confessing being a victim of a serious extortion syndicate within the security system. This news website has reliably learnt that in the last minute effort to shield himself against arrest by ISO that he increasingly got premonition was imminent, Birungi tried reaching out to many powerful military and political leaders in the Ugandan government to come to his rescue by prevailing on ISO operatives, who were trailing him since April, to back off. One of the leaders he sought to reach out to was the President who received a message of Birungi showing remorse and confessing some of his past mistakes including being easily blackmailed by security operatives and media personalities to pay off whoever came up with damaging information about him especially on two things namely the April 2008 Budo fire that gutted Nassolo dormitory killing 20 kids and the killing of his manager Stephen Asaba.
The information the Birungi camp sent out to the President indicated that a certain powerful General who then had a lot of influence on criminal investigations by security/intelligence agencies, was among those who used their privileged positions to cash in on the Movit Bonanza. That the General, hitherto thought by many to be extremely incorruptible, asked for and was given Shs800m straight away in order to become part of the team of influential actors whose work it was to ensure all the guys that kept coming up to maliciously accuse Movit of any wrongdoing would be cowed into silence. We are reliably informed that this information, which Museveni has since verified and confirmed to be true, left him more disappointed towards this General whom he previously took to be as clean as a white man when it comes to resisting corruption, bribery and other forms of material gratifications. Indeed, led by his wife Sheila Birungi, Movit family members and friends have lately been crying out saying the problem their man was too rich and this made him a target of many powerful security officials each time they became broke and needed some money. The family sources say, having collected a lot of negative information about the man, there are some security gurus that would deliver it to him in installments and each time they showed up with dirty info, they demanded to be bribed or else they humiliate Birungi and demonize his business.
HOW MOVIT FELL;
It’s disclosed by sources close to ISO investigations that the problems of Birungi, who ISO on Thursday 7th July intercepted from Entebbe, had a lot to do with his reluctance to materially satisfy a one Moses Lumu and his two comrades in crime namely Byamukama and Julius. ISO investigations so far show that the three, as per Lumu’s confession, were contracted by the tycoon to burn Nassolo dormitory in order to emotionally break up then Budo Jr headmaster GW Kayongo who was in some way standing in Movit’s way to expand his business premises in Zana. It will be recalled that before finally arresting Lumu, whose confession video has publicly been circulating on social media, ISO first nabbed two police Flying Squad officers Ivan Musimenta Muleefu and Yusuf Kiggundu. The duo was respectively picked on 1st and 2nd May 2018. One was picked like a grasshopper from Acacia Mall late evening as he enjoyed with friends and the other was intercepted inside Kabu Supermarket in Kyaliwajjala as he pretended to be shopping. The two were interrogated and told ISO operatives what they knew about the Budo fire. Apparently ISO had information that the duo was among the lucky police officers who were becoming stinking rich through extorting money from Birungi. They shared all they knew but said they had learnt most of it from Moses Lumu who had gone into hiding on learning of duo’s capture. It was them who helped ISO to finally arrest Lumu (on 4th May) who separately corroborated many of the things the duo had earlier on been confessing about Movit. What did they disclose? It were many things including the fact that the Movit tycoon was always willing to part with money-and a lot of it-each time he was told of new information emerging regarding the Budo matter and that of Stephen Asaba’s murder. The duo had also confessed conniving with chief confessor Moses Lumu to regularly get some money from Birungi whenever he became broke. That the first time they met Lumu, they were overwhelmed with the information Lumu purported to have against Birungi and required him to make a written statement but to also accept to be recorded on video. With this strong information, the trio now set out to target Mr. Simpson Birungi for an initial Shs50m. Lumu told ISO operatives that Movit isn’t an easy man and that even himself shudders each time he reflects on the circumstances under which his other two Budo fire accomplices-Julius and Byamukama-went missing never to be seen again. Bukedde newspaper recently reported that the rich man had promised Lumu and group Shs70m on accomplishing the Budo mission. The duo have since told ISO operatives that, on getting all this implicating information from Lumu, they took it upon themselves to reach out to Birungi for his side of the story. That instead of coming to police to appear before them as Flying Squad operatives, the generous Movit tycoon offered to meet them in several posh places for peace talks. According to ISO sources, these places included Village Mall Bugolobi, Pope Paul in Rubaga, Kabira Country Club, Quality Shopping Village Lubowa, Eden Service Park Bwaise, Kiwatule Country Club and City Ville Washing Bay & Lounge Bukoto. ISO has since established that in all these meetings, Birungi would meet the three and that though he always denied any wrongdoing, he ended up agreeing to pay the trio off in return for peace and freedom against Budo fire allegations. It was in one of the meetings at Pope Paul that the tycoon asked Lumu how much money he finally wanted to keep quiet forever. According to media reports, the trio suggested Shs100m. Birungi instantly accepted and excited them further by offering to pay them in dollars. He offered he would give them $30,000 which approximately came to Shs110m. He told them he would speak to his lawyer first and get back to them. The next day at lunch time, the group met at Kiwatule Country Club. ISO information shows that Birungi came with his lawyer (names withheld not to jeopardize investigations). With him was $15,000 which he passed onto the trio in presence of the lawyer. The counsel carried papers which Lumu was asked to sign on receiving the $15,000. The promise was the tycoon would call them for the balance but he never kept his word. The trio tried chasing him for the balance in vain and that is how Lumu, who was supposed to make another recording exonerating the tycoon, renewed hostility and started ranting again. He went around confiding in so many people including undercover ISO operatives and that is how the whole info reached Brig Frank Kaka Bagyenda the Director General ISO. He then reached out to the President seeking his no objection to swing against Birungi and the rest is history. But all said and done, Birungi is clearly in this latest mess because of his meanness whereby he went back to his word and refused to complete the balance which the trio was demanding of $15,000. He assured them they were no bodies and he wouldn’t add them even a penny forgetting that the two being police officers having a willing witness in Lumu, there is so much more they would do to reputational-wise neutralize him and they eventually did. As we write ISO continues holding onto the trio even after their families tried going to court to compel their release through the writ of Habeas Corpus. For comments, email us on mulengeranews@gmail.com
