By Andrew Irumba
Kampala: The Uganda Police Force have accepted that they have failed to arrest one of their own, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Siraje Bakaleke, who went rogue and has remained in hiding despite two arrest warrants issues against him by court.
Bakaleke, who was formally the Kampala South Regional Police Commander, has been missing since last year yet he is wanted to face charges ranging from corruption to abuse of office, kidnap and conspiracy to defraud. However, all efforts by the Uganda Police to arrest him have proved futile until this week when they published his pictures in local dailies, asking anyone who comes across the renegade police officer to arrest and hand him over to the nearest police station.
After this failing too, we have learnt that the Uganda Police have written to International Police (Interpol), requesting them to arrest Bakaleke anywhere in the world where they will see him. Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga, says police has written to its counterparts in various countries to arrest Bakaleke. “ACP Bakaleke is wanted by the anti-corruption division of the high court for the offences of abuse of office, conspiracy to defraud, kidnapping with intent to confine a person, and conspiracy to commit a felony of the Anti-Corruption Division Kampala criminal case no. 0095/2018 and Avipol CRB 047/2018,” Enanga said. He added that “Police appeals to whoever has any information which may lead to his arrest and prosecution to pass it in confidence to the nearest police station or ring telephone numbers 0715411674, 0712667713 and 0715354978.”
Bakaleke fled into hiding late last year after the Anti-Corruption Court summoned him to appear and answer charges, whereby he is accused alongside five others of allegedly abducting and extorting USD415,000 (Shs1.5Bn) from two Korean nationals in February last year. Bakaleke’s co-accused include Innocent Munezero, Innocent Nuwagaba, Robert Asiimwe, Amanya Junior, Babu Gastavas, Kenneth Zirintuusa, Paul Mugoya Wanyoto and Samuel Nabeta. His co-accused appeared before court and pleaded not guilty to the charges but Bakaleke has never appeared in court.
