Family of Jailed Former Ericsson Manager Appeals for Justice

The family of Hamba Mary Coreen, a former Ericsson manager currently imprisoned, has reached out to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to express their outrage over her alleged abduction by agents of I&M Bank. Coreen has reportedly been held at Luzira Prison for three months without trial.

On June 17, 2024, as Coreen was dropping her child off at school in Entebbe, she was forcibly taken by four masked men in a tinted vehicle. She was allegedly targeted over a claim that she owed UGX 125 million to I&M Bank—a bank she had never even heard of.

“I was dragged into the car without any chance to explain myself,” Coreen recounted during a visit from our reporter. “They mentioned something about the commercial court while they sped off to an unknown location.”

Coreen maintains that she had taken a salary loan of UGX 60 million from Orient Bank in 2017 and paid it off fully. However, she says she has faced threats from I&M Bank, claiming she owes them money.

In her letter to the Prime Minister, Coreen’s sister, Nawongha Winnie, urged for intervention, highlighting Coreen’s status as a single mother of two who urgently needs to defend herself in court.

“We implore you to help our sister receive the justice she deserves,” Nawongha wrote. “The abduction was ruthless, showing no regard for her children, who were left unattended for two days. This situation has caused significant trauma for the entire family.”

Winnie emphasized the severity of the allegations against Coreen, arguing that even if there were grounds for a claim against her, it should be treated as a civil matter, not a criminal one. She called attention to the misuse of power by I&M Bank and urged for a legal resolution.

“The government must uphold the rights of its citizens against such abuses,” she added, underscoring the importance of due process in financial disputes.

The family hopes that with the Prime Minister’s help, Coreen can soon be released to reunite with her children and clear her name in court.

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”For The Kind Attention Of                                                                                                      Date: September, 20,2024

Rt.Hon. Robinah Nabbanja

The Prime Minister Of The Republic Of Uganda and

Leader of Government Business In Parliament

Dear Rt.Hon. Prime Minister,

I hope this letter finds you well. I want to thank you so very much for prioritizing the poor and voiceless in your leadership style. You’re uniquely gifted in your own right, Rt. Honourable. Your leadership style has brought the Government even closer to ordinary citizens. Thank you.

Rt.Hon, I am writing to bring to your attention a deeply concerning situation involving my sister Ms. Coreen Mary Hamba, a 43-year-old single mother of two, who was violently abducted on June 17, 2024 around 5:45am in Entebbe, as she dropped her child at school, Entebbe Education Centre, around 5:45am

On that fateful day, Coreen was violently forced into a waiting tinted drone car, parked outside the school gate by four unidentified mean-looking men and driven at breakneck speed from Entebbe to Kampala. After three months of searching for her in vain, it has since come to my attention that she is being held in Luzira women’s prison on allegations related to a shs60m salary loan she lawfully obtained from Orient Bank (now I&M Bank) and cleared before she left employment at Ericsson company, about 7 yrs ago.

Coreen contends that to the best of her recollection, she cleared the loan with Orient Bank and even closed her account with them officially with their guidance, but she was shocked when I&M Bank, which took over from Orient Bank abducted her claiming they were demanding shs 125m from her, yet she has never taken any loan from them, and it was her first time hearing that there exists a bank called I&M Bank.

But more important to note Rt. Honourable Prime Minister is the following:

1- Impunity by I&M Bank: For the argument’s sake, let’s even assume that Coreen owes I&M Bank. This becomes a civil matter, NOT criminal, because she didn’t break into the Bank. The Bank chose to use impunity by abducting my sister, passing her through court corridors in a bid to “cure” the illegalities already committed against her during the abduction, and without giving her a chance to defend herself, she was simply dropped before a waiting commercial registrar, and in few minutes, conveyed to Luzira prisons, where she has so far spent 3 months without facing any court or legal services. The use of drones and security personnel to settle suspected Bank-customer disputes is an abuse of court processes and the sanctity of what is supposed to be the temple of justice, which, if left to blossom unchallenged, then the very ideals and sacrifices for which our beloved president went to the bush to defend will be in vain. The Government you serve has put in place due processes on how disputes of such nature can be resolved by respecting the laws of the land. Maxim law on equity dictates thus; “He who comes to the temple of justice must come with clean hands”. I&M Bank is seeking justice by committing injustice through abductions.

2- Why do Banks target Salaried Companies staff for Loans With Insurance Policies? A salary loan has an Insurance policy and a guarantor, which is your employer/company. Every month your employer automatically deducts the Bank loan and Insurance fees. The reason they pay the Insurance is that in case the employee loses job and is unable to pay, the Insurance comes in. That’s the reason the employer and Insurance Company cut her salary. So before any arrest is done, a law-abiding Bank needs to first engage to get a clear status report.

On behalf of very traumatized and concerned family members, we request you to intervene in this matter so that Coreen may get justice. Our sister deserves an opportunity to defend herself in the courts of law. We kindly ask for your assistance in facilitating her release from Luzira prison so that she can find her two children, since she’s a single mother. The abductors didn’t even consider the plight of the child they saw her dropping at school. She stayed there uncollected for two days without help. Both children are traumatized by the incident. Your intervention could be pivotal in addressing the injustice being meted out to innocent citizens by Banks like I&M.

Thank you for your kind attention to this urgent matter. 

Yours Sincerely

Nawongha Winnie