British businessman David Greenhalgh, widely remembered in Uganda for his turbulent relationship with Kampala socialite Shanita Namuyimbwa, alias Bad Black, has been convicted in the United Kingdom over an illegal international arms brokering operation.
Greenhalgh, 68, was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court alongside Greek national Christos Farmakis, 48. The court convicted the pair over attempts to broker military equipment for countries under strict arms embargoes.
The case marks a major fall for Greenhalgh, who became a familiar name in Uganda’s entertainment and business circles in the early 2010s. His public profile grew during his high-spending relationship with Bad Black.
Court Convicts Pair Over Illegal Arms Deals
According to UK prosecutors, Greenhalgh and Farmakis attempted to supply controlled military equipment to conflict-hit countries.
The weapons and military hardware included fighter jets, battle tanks, surface-to-air missile systems, assault rifles, and ammunition.
The Crown Prosecution Service said the operation ran between July 2009 and December 2016.
The intended destinations included Sudan, South Sudan, Libya, Iraq, and Iran. These countries were under UK arms embargoes at the time.
Greenhalgh was convicted of 10 counts of illegal arms trafficking. Farmakis, who was tried in his absence, was convicted of nine counts.
Sentencing is listed for July 22, 2026, at Southwark Crown Court.
Uganda Link Through Bad Black Case
Greenhalgh became known in Uganda through his relationship with Bad Black and their joint real estate company, Daveshan Development Limited.
The pair frequently appeared in local tabloids during a period marked by lavish spending in Kampala’s high-end social spaces.
Their relationship later collapsed into a major court battle.
In 2011, Greenhalgh dragged Bad Black and Meddie Ssentongo to Uganda’s Anti-Corruption Court. He accused them of defrauding him of more than $4 million, about Shs11 billion at the time.
In 2012, Bad Black was sentenced to four years in prison. Ssentongo received an 18-month sentence.
UK prosecutors have now said Greenhalgh was pursuing illegal international arms deals during the same period he was funding his Kampala lifestyle and fighting fraud cases in Uganda.
Airservices Companies Used in Transactions
Prosecutors said Greenhalgh, an aviation expert from Croydon, operated through his Airservices group of companies.
The companies had links across several jurisdictions, including the UK, Greece, Hong Kong, and South Sudan.
Investigators said the network sourced military hardware from Eastern European countries. These included Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia, and the Czech Republic.
Emails recovered during investigations showed the scale of the operation.
In one exchange, Greenhalgh discussed a plan to supply 100,000 AK-47 assault rifles to South Sudan. Prosecutors said the correspondence also showed discussions about false paperwork to bypass European trade controls.
The Crown Prosecution Service said the pair tried to disguise the true destination of the weapons and avoid UK licensing requirements.
HMRC Says Sanctions Were Ignored
HM Revenue and Customs, which investigated the case, said the convictions should warn others against breaching arms controls.
“These men showed a blatant disregard for international sanctions, seeking to profit from the illegal supply of weapons to some of the bloodiest conflicts,” said Edwige Hill, the deputy director in HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service.
The case has drawn attention in Uganda because of Greenhalgh’s past links to Bad Black and the high-profile fraud trial that dominated local headlines more than a decade ago.
Fourteen years after that public fallout, Greenhalgh now awaits sentencing in the UK.
