The matter in which the Kampala city businessman and company director at Taifa Partners Limited, Emmanuel Asiimwe is accused of forging and uttering false documents has been adjourned to February 9, 2024.
Asiimwe appeared in court on Thursday before the Chief Magistrate – Buganda Road, His Worship Ronald Kayizzi with a new lawyer who sought for adjournment on account that her senior counsel is busy sitting for examinations. The Buganda Road Chief Magistrate adjourned the matter and issued a last warning to the accused since the witnesses some of whom travel from upcountry get inconvenienced.
Despite having all six witnesses in court whenever the matter comes up, the trial that started last year has been slow. This is partly attributed to the fact that Asiimwe keeps bringing on board new lawyers who ask for ample time to read through the file.
Ironically only one witness and former shareholder Charles Okello has been cross-examined since last year. During the cross-examination however, Okello pinned his co-director Asiimwe for forging his signature and making special company resolutions without his knowledge, and certified documents were submitted to the Chief Magistrate and put on court record.
Okello is a former worker at Asiimwe’s other company, Integrated Agritech Uganda Ltd as a mechanical engineer and was appointed director after he bought 5 percent shares in Taifa Partners Ltd. He told court that after allotting him 5 shares, 10 shares were also allotted to Assa Tumwesigye (also director with powers of attorney) and Asiimwe was appointed the Managing Director with 85 shares in the company. While serving as the Managing Director, he made a special resolution on November 23, 21 and appointed Okello a company secretary.
After a short time, he made another resolution transferring the 10 shares meant for Tumwesigye to himself. He possibly did this to acquire 95 percent shares to make it difficult for other shareholders to demand a poll in making decisions. As a Managing Director with a sole signatory role, he accessed all the company accounts. At some point, Asiimwe recalled Okello from upcountry and told him to raise money so that they further grow the company but the latter was not in position to.
Asiimwe coerced him to sell his 5 shares and they were allotted to another investing company, Dapanti Union whose directors were not mentioned in court.
With Okello and Tumwesigye ceasing to be directors at Taifa Partners Limited, Dapanti Union came on board. Later Okello was stripped of the role of company secretary. He continued working as a mere company mechanical engineer till February this year when he ceased to have any business with Taifa Partners Ltd.
It should be noted around August this year, Tumwesigye whose shares were transferred through a special resolution without his knowledge confronted Okello and blamed him for conniving with Asiimwe to revoke the powers of attorney to sign contracts with Uganda Prisons and Rwimi Agro processing plant.
It was at this point that forgery was detected, Okello started realizing that most of the documents carried his name as company secretary with a forged signature since he would not even be in Kampala at the time the documents were signed.
On landing some documents with his name and a forged signature, he gave instructions to a law firm to dig up other documents from various offices including URSB. To his utter shock, more than 5 documents that were tendered in court without Asiimwe’s lawyer objection were forged.
As the matter is adjourned to February 9, Asiimwe remains in trouble since forging resolutions to give self, powers of attorney – once prosecuted very well may attract a life sentence.
