KAMPALA, Uganda— A Kampala-based lawyer, Andrew Obam, was remanded to Luzira prison Wednesday on charges of money laundering, stemming from allegations he defrauded retired Supreme Court Justice George Wilson Kanyeihamba of more than 200 million shillings.
Obam, 38, was arrested by operatives from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit. He is accused of failing to return $56,800 (approximately 212 million shillings) that was reportedly deposited into his law firm’s account under suspicious circumstances.
He appeared before Grade One Magistrate Paul Mujuni at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kololo, where he was charged with a single count of money laundering.
Prosecutors told the court that between October 2022 and September 2024, Obam knowingly received large sums of money into the Bank of Africa account belonging to Loi Advocates, a firm where he is a partner. The money was allegedly transferred using stolen checks linked to the 86-year-old retired judge.
Court further heard that even after Obam reportedly discovered the funds had been unlawfully obtained, he did not make any effort to refund them.
Because money laundering is a capital offense triable only by the High Court, Obam was not allowed to enter a plea before the magistrate. He was remanded until July 14, 2025, pending further investigations.
