Entebbe Police have in custody a Chinese national who was found with forged aviation authorization documents purportedly recognizing him as a sole service provider for Uganda Airlines ground handling services in China.
According to our sources, the Chinese national, identified as Jerry Ma, is a proprietor of Sunmaker Energy (Uganda) co. Ltd in Bugolobi, Kampala and he is also a partner for Beijing Gendui Gengdui International Travel agency Co.Ltd in Beijing China.
It’s reported that Jerry Ma came and asked for an introductory letter on behalf of Beijing Gendui Gengdui International Travel Agency Co.Ltd that he could take to his business partners and the China Aviation Authority to show that he was in negotiations with the airline for private charter services from Uganda to/from China with Uganda airlines.
But after getting the introductory letter from the airline, Jerry and his Ugandan counterpart only identified as Joseph reportedly went and altered it by changing the subject matter from “Introduction letter to ‘authorization’, which solely gives them rights to handle all the ground and flight services for Uganda airlines in China.
Reports indicate that Jerry Ma had positioned himself as the legally contracted agent to handle the airline business on behalf of Beijing Gendui in China.
Jerry Ma edited one of the paragraphs of the letter that was reading; ”Uganda National Airlines Company Limited has commenced negotiations with MIS Sunmaker Energy (Uganda) Limited with regard to the possible execution of a charter agreement pursuant to which and as may be expressly provided in such charter agreement, Sunmaker Energy (Uganda) Limited will from time to time arrange for direct charter flights between Uganda and the People’s Republic of China. In performing these services, Surmaker Energy (Uganda) Limited has selected to work with Beijing Gendui Gengtui International Travel Service Co. Ltd as an aviation charter service provider from Entebbe to Beijing or Entebbe to Xi’an Route in China.”
”We, Uganda National Airlines Company Limited state that Beijing Gendui International Travel Service Co.Ltd ‘will be full power authorized’ as the aviation services provide from Entebbe to Xi’an or Beijing Route in China. Beijing Gendui Gengtui International Travel Agency Co. Ltd became the designated agency for Uganda Airlines in China, applying for all 129 of Entebbe-Beijing or Entebbe Xi’an traffic route and 287 of time schedule for Uganda Airlines.
Working contents include, but are not limited to, Chinese office applications, business permits, CCAR-129 applications, navigation rights, moment and air route applications. This Authorization letter will be valid till 15 October 2022 which can be renewed for a related agreement on Airbus A330-800 NEO.”
After altering the contents of the letter, the company bosses went to China and started posing as the sole ground aviation handlers for Uganda Airlines which caused suspicion since according to the China Aviation Authority, such ‘agreement’ had severely breached a number of protocols, thus denying them to operate in China and kicked them back to Uganda where they landed in the hands of Entebbe Airport police.
Arrest
After getting correspondences on their fraudulent acts, Uganda Airlines Director of security and Safety didn’t panic.
He simply called them over to come to Entebbe head office to ‘finalize’ with the genuine negotiations which they had started, and for which Mr. Jerry Ma had sought introductory letter. Ma was accompanied by his Ugandan counterpart Joseph, and off they rushed to Entebbe’s office.
When the two arrived, they found airline staff, this time with unfamiliar faces ready to ‘finalize’ the final negotiations. However, midway through the discussions, it’s at that moment that Ma and his colleague understood that the other new faces who posed as Uganda airlines staff were actually detectives from Entebbe police. At that time, they surprised them when they told them they were under arrest for falsifying documents with the purpose of fleecing the unsuspecting public.
By press time the pair was at Entebbe police custody under file no. Ebb CRB 1275/2021.
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