The late Ivan Ssemwanga’s brother Eddy Kyeune (popularly known as Ed Cheune) has been arrested on charges of obtaining money by false pretense.
Cheune was arrested on Monday on allegations of conning a Dubai-based Russian woman of USD 4.5 million (about Ush 16 billion) in a fake gold deal.
The Internal Security organisation (ISO) has confirmed the arrest of Cheune, saying they moved in to arrest Cheune after he began issuing death threats to a woman whom he partnered with on the crime upon learning that the woman was co-operating with local and international authorities to give evidence against him.
The said woman Cheune is reported to have co-operated with on the con job is the widow of the late singer AK 47 Maggie Kiweesi.
Maggie also pinned the pencil sized ‘moneybags’ Isaac Nduhukire alias Don Nasser, who was smoked out of a ceiling on November 20, 2018, by Police.
Reports suggest that Cheune (who lives between Uganda and South Africa) might possibly be extradited to Dubai to answer charges there.
Cheune now joins Vivian Mbuga on the list of high-profile, flashy-but-shady Ugandan business people who have over the last few days been arrested on charges of conning international businessmen. SK Mbuga’s wife Vivian Chebet was arrested over the weekend on charges of money-laundering and fraud, linked to her reported conning a Swedish national of millions of dollars in working conjunction with her husband. SK Mbuga on his part was also last week extradited from a Dubai prison to Denmark on fraud- related charges.
Like his late brother Ivan Ssemwanga, Cheune lives a larger-than-life flashy life in the public eye, driving posh cars, dressing to kill and throwing around huge bills at hang-outs and nightclubs.
