Prime
Musumba, Mawanda win case
Igara East MP Michael Mawanda (L) and ex-state minister for Regional Cooperation Isaac Musumba. India’s Supreme Court yesterday quashed charges brought against the duo and businessman Mathias Magoola.
What you need to know:
Sweet victory. The team plans to return on Monday, but thank President Museveni, whom Musumba says telephoned them five times, for his “care”.
KAMPALA
India’s Supreme Court yesterday quashed a case of extortion and criminal trespass brought against former state minister for Regional Cooperation Isaac Musumba, Igara East MP Michael Mawanda and businessman Mathias Magoola.
The trio has since April been embroiled abroad in a delicate litigation after directors of Videocon firm, an Indian company they alleged owed them $37 million (Shs94 billion) in an impugned Ugandan mining deal, instead accused them to Maharashtra State officials of extortion of $20 million (Shs51 billion).
Police seized their travel documents, among them two diplomatic passports, stirring a diplomatic incident. This newspaper understands that the local magistrate’s court later took custody of the documents, resulting in the accused being confined to a hotel for about two months.
The Ugandans, represented by counsel Nikhil Jain, left Mubai where they were being prosecuted and filed a criminal writ petition at the Supreme Court in the capital, New Delhi, for orders to quash criminal proceedings against them.
Probe ordered
Attorney K L. Janjani represented proprietors of Videocon, an Electronics firm, and the State of Maharashtra whose police the Justices yesterday ordered investigated over the manner in which they handled the case against the three Ugandans.
By press time, the ruling’s full text was yet to be uploaded on the website of India’s Supreme Court.
Ex-minister Musumba, who sounded excited, told the Daily Monitor by telephone from New Delhi that court established that there was a business relationship between his client, Magoola, and Videocon owners.
The judges said creditors accessing the official premises of Videocon directors in pursuit of a business interest could not constitute “criminal trespass”, and that there was no evidence of extortion since no money or property exchanged hands between the parties.
“These Indians were conmen; they came to Uganda, took my client’s mining licence and they did not pay and neither did they return his licence which expired in their hands, Mr Musumba said, “”This ruling is good news because it confirms our clean record. So much damage had been done to our name.”
Businessman Magoola is claiming for payments for an estimated nine million tonnes of tin and wolfram extractable in south-western Uganda.
Following yesterday’s court victory, Mr Musumba said his client would now bill Vidoecon directors on the basis of two lost mines and prevailing market prices of three million tonnes of tin and six million tonnes of wolfram, whose combined value would by far exceed the $37 million sought previously.
Besides, the group intends to file a new application at the Indian High Court for general/special damages and compensation as well as incidental expenses, including hotel charges, for about two months.
Mr Musumba said last evening that he alone is eying $1 million (Shs2.5 billion) award “because I am a high caliber lawyer who handles multi-million dollar cases, and yet my name has been needlessly damaged”.
The former minister thanked President Museveni, whom he said placed telephone calls to them on five occasions, for standing by them when other government officials were not particularly helpful.
