KAMPALA, Uganda — City socialite Honest Kavuma, also known as Champagne Papi, was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison by Buganda Road Magistrates Marion Mangei and Siena Owomugisha over fraud related offences.
According to court documents, Kavuma was charged with 60 offences, including fraud, money laundering, forgery and obtaining money by false pretence.
The charges
These are the offences listed on the charge sheet for which Kavuma was convicted after pleading guilty:
One count of electronic fraud under Section 19 of the Computer Misuse Act, 2011.
Seventeen counts of forgery under Sections 342, 345(a) and 347 of the Penal Code Act, as amended.
Seventeen counts of uttering false documents under Section 351 of the Penal Code Act, as amended.
Twelve counts of obtaining money by false pretence under Section 305 of the Penal Code Act, as amended.
One count of possessing suspected stolen property under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act.
One count of personation under Section 381 of the Penal Code Act.
Two counts of obtaining credit by false pretence under Section 308 of the Penal Code Act, as amended, among others.
Convicted and sentenced fraudster Kavuma in a court dock. Photo credit: Sqoop
How a suspended sentence was granted
After pleading guilty and being sentenced, Kavuma, through his family members, approached the state seeking ways to save him from dying in prison due to his deteriorating health.
This followed warnings from his lawyers that he had a bad case and that the chances were high that he would spend a long time in prison.
Due to his deteriorating health condition while in prison, Kavuma was granted a suspended sentence.
Under the terms of the suspension, should Kavuma engage in any fraudulent act, he would return to prison and begin serving the sentence that had been suspended.
Meanwhile, this was not the first time Kavuma had been involved in allegations of fraud.
About 10 years earlier, Kavuma, who was staying in Finland, allegedly conned money from colleagues before disappearing and returning to Uganda.
In 2017, Kavuma was accused of defrauding Nigerian businessman Jay Florin Adebayo, director of Citi Commodities, of $193 million.
In January 2022, Kavuma was placed on the Uganda Police Force’s wanted list over an alleged accommodation debt of Shs170 million.
He allegedly left without clearing a bill of $48,000, equivalent to Shs170,253,504, which had accumulated through accommodation and food at Speke Apartments.
