KAMPALA, UGANDA: Buganda Road Magistrate’s court has convicted businessman-cum politician Mukesh Shukla Babubhai of fraud on six counts of uttering a false document.
Mukesh was on Monday evening convicted by the court presided over by grade one magistrate Marion Mangeni on charges related to uttering a false document in form of a letter for the official handover of Hotel Diplomate Muyenga, purporting the same to have been signed by the late Bonny Katatumba, the former consular of Uganda to Pakistan and his other family members.
The other family members included Annie Grace Katatumba, Angella Katatumba, Ian Katatumba, Bonny Katatumba and Rugirwa Katatumba.
The documents which also included the signature of George William Kalyegira, the officer-in-charge of then chief justice Bart Katureebe’s security detail are said to have been uttered on April 17, 2015 and November 2017 indicating that the Katatumba family had authorized him to take over Hotel Diplomate.
Court heard that prosecution proved beyond any reasonable doubt with evidence from their seven witnesses, that Mukesh had committed the said crimes against him which he had denied previously.
The same court however acquitted him of seven counts related to the forgery of those documents on the basis that there was no sufficient evidence to show that he is the one who had forged them.
After being found guilty, the prosecution led by Ivan Kyazze asked court to hand Mukesh a custodial sentence, saying cases of this nature have been rampant in the country, especially in the jurisdiction of Buganda Road court.
On his part, Mukesh asked to be given a lenient sentence, saying he is an old man with a family to look after and that a caution would be an appropriate sentence for him as opposed to going to jail. He told court that he’s a boss to many people and sending him to jail might affect the welfare of the people he employs.
In her ruling, magistrate Mangeni fined Mukesh Shs 2 million on each of the six counts and for failure to pay, he should go to Luzira Prison and be there for two years as his punishment.
The children of Katatumba led by Angella Katatumba welcomed the decision saying that they are happy he is now convicted adding that the next step is now to get back Katatamba Suites (now known as Shumuk House ) where they say Mukesh is now being demanded more than $14 million in rent arrears.
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