national 24 June 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Kampala Court Acquits Finance Officer of Shs49 Million Fraud Charges
A Kampala court has acquitted a finance officer, charged with electronic fraud and theft totaling over Shs49 million, after the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/court-clears-kampala-finance-officer-of-shs49m-electronic-fraud-charges-4323498
A principal magistrate’s court in Kampala has discharged Ms. Esther Linda Nigiwan, a former finance officer at digital lending firm Ryra Investments, from all charges related to electronic fraud and theft amounting to Shs49 million.
The ruling, delivered by Principal Magistrate Grade One Sanula Nambozo, stated that Ms. Nigiwan was acquitted after the prosecution could not secure a conviction against her. The court order directed her immediate release unless she was facing other legal charges.
Ms. Nigiwan had been accused of working with others still at large to fraudulently transfer and retain over Shs49 million from Ryra Investments between July and December 2020. The prosecution alleged that the funds were diverted from the company’s loan repayment system and sent to approximately 30 mobile money accounts.
Prosecutors maintained that Ms. Nigiwan, in her role supervising loan disbursements, had the access necessary to conduct these fraudulent transactions, aiming to obtain unlawful gain. The Managing Director of Ryra Investments testified that investigations had linked Ms. Nigiwan to the creation of fictitious customer accounts used to channel the money.
However, after a thorough review of the evidence presented by both sides, the court found the case against Ms. Nigiwan lacking. The acquittal signifies the end of a case concerning alleged financial impropriety at a Kampala-based digital lending firm and underscores the prosecution’s responsibility to prove electronic fraud cases beyond a reasonable doubt.