Magara Case: Extradited Suspect Possesses Two Varying Passports

By Fred Kiva

Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga says the conduct of extradited Susan Magara  murder suspect Patrick Kasaija (Pato), aroused more security suspicion in their investigation of the matter.

In a statement issued on Thursday, a day after Pato’s extradition from South Africa, Enanga said “his conduct towards the end of the ordeal was very suspicious, when on the 13th February, 2018, he applied for a Visa to South Africa, with a flight plan for 16th, February, 2018. Instead, he left Entebbe International Airport, on the 17th, February, 2018, for Harare, through Nairobi, where he however, stopped and falsely declared to the immigration officials, how he was returning to Uganda, from, Accra, Ghana.”

“He (Pato) returned to Uganda on the same day and thereafter, travelled by road, through Botswana to South Africa on the 24th, February, 2018, coincidentally the same date the advance ransom payment was delivered to the perpetrators,” Enanga added, saying the suspect possessed two Passports; Number B0661869 that was valid until 3/03/2018, in the names of Agaba Patrick, and Number B1177225 that is valid till 19/01/2025 in the names of Kasaija Patrick.

In the statement Enanga explained how the Government of Uganda, through Interpol, coordinated "the successful extradition of Patrick Kasaija, alias Patrick Agaba, alias “PATO”, a wanted Ugandan fugitive, from South Africa." He said Pato was arrested on the 7th, March, 2018, by members of Interpol South Africa, Crime Intelligence and the National Investigation Unit at his residential address in Midrand, South Africa. He was handed over to a special team of detectives from Uganda who transported him back home on Wednesday “and took him into police custody, for further interrogation.”

According to Enanga the suspect is highly suspected to be the person behind the voice recorded, during the phone negotiations, over the USD 1M ransom, and the advance payment of USD200,000, that was paid by Magara’s father, John Magara on the 24th, February, 2018. “The suspect is still presumed innocent until proven beyond reasonable doubt before the courts of law. In the meantime, his case file is being processed for the attention of the DPP (Director of Public Prosecution), who upon perusal will determine whether to jointly charge him with the eight other accused persons already committed to the High Court or not,” Enanga said.

Magara, 28, a cashier at her father’s Bwendero Dairy Farm procurement office in Kampala was in February last year kidnapped by unknown people on Kabaka Anjagala road in Mengo, on her way to her apartment in Lungujja. She was held captive for three weeks before, her mutilated body was found dumped in Kitiko village between Kajjansi and Kigo along the Entebbe expressway. Her kidnappers had initially demanded for a ransom of 1million dollars (about Shs1.6billion) before murdering her even when her family had paid $200,000 (about Shs 700million)