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One arrested over forging Interpol, Covid vaccination certificates
The Suspect Allan Sempebwa is escorted to a holding room by an AVPOL officer at Entebbe International Airport on August 6. PHOTO/PAUL ADUDE
What you need to know:
- Mr Owoyesigire said the suspect was also found with a KCCA identity card number 1439 in his names identifying him as a law enforcement assistant directorate of legal affairs.
The Entebbe International Airport Aviation police has arrested a 29-year-old man identified as Peter Ssempebwa over alleged forgery of Interpol and Covid-19 vaccination certificates that he sold to travelers at the airport.
Addressing journalists on Friday, Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigire said the suspect was arrested early this week after a group of nine migrant workers were arrested at the airport on April 16, 2021 with the said fake documents.
“The workers who were intending to travel to Saudi Arabia under Cornell Recruitment Company were intercepted by the airport authorities on suspicion that they were carrying forged Interpol certificates of good conduct and police forensic clearance certificates. We arrested the director of the recruitment company, Jacob Oola who told us that he got the papers from Ssempebwa of Nasser road” he said.
Owoyesigire explained that police had since then launched a manhunt for Ssepmpebwa who went into hiding until his arrest, Tuesday.
“We took him to his residence along Salama road, Kabuuma Zone in Makindye and his workplace at Nasser road where we recovered various forged documents including Covid-19 vaccination certificates along with forged stamps of different government agencies. He will be produced in the courts of law and the evidence we have against him is overwhelming” he said.
Mr Owoyesigire said the suspect was also found with a KCCA identity card number 1439 in his names identifying him as a law enforcement assistant directorate of legal affairs.
“Our investigations have embarked on ascertaining people he has been working with. We believe many travel agencies have been contacting him to produce for them these documents,” he said.
Mr Owoyesigire said the suspect has been charged with forgery, contrary to section 342, 342 (a) and 347 of the Penal Code Act.
In October last year, aviation police arrested 24 people as they tried to travel out of the country with fake negative Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test certificates, a prerequisite for travelers in and out of the country at the airport as part of the SOPs put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19.
