The lawyer to city businessman and company director at Taifa Partners Limited, Emmanuel Asiimwe who is accused of forging and uttering false documents told court on Monday that his client is suffering from acute diarrhea. To win the sympathy of the Chief Magistrate – Buganda Road, His Worship Ronald Kayizzi, the lawyer’s tone reflected a fact that Asiimwe’s “kipindupindu” is so bad that he could not even be saved by diapers to appear in public. The soft spoken Chief Magistrate had no option other than adjourning the matter to Friday May 3, 2024.
However, this left some of the witnesses very disgruntled and complaining that this could be one of the tricks used by Asiimwe to buy time and frustrate them.
One of the witnesses and a former shareholder at Taifa Partners Limited, Charles Okello travels from Gulu to Kampala every time there is a court session. He believes Asiimwe is playing some monkey tricks to drain him financially. “Asiimwe keeps looking for excuses to postpone the matter. He keeps changing lawyers to make the proceeding impossible as the new entrants ask the Chief Magistrate to give them ample time to study the file. He has done this more than four times. On sensing that the trick has lost its steam, a new lawyer in the matter has raised the issue of diarrhea. At this rate, Asiimwe’s lawyers will tell the court that their client is dead, pending resurrection to appear in court,” Okello jokingly said on Monday after the matter was adjourned.
Despite having all the core witnesses in court whenever the matter comes up, the trial that started last year has continued to slow down.
Asiimwe is cognizant that he has a very bad case with evidence all over to pin him. During the presentation pending cross-examination last year Okello pinned his co-director Asiimwe on 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. 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.
As the matter is adjourned to May 3, 2024, Asiimwe remains in trouble since the matter of forging resolutions to give self powers of attorney, once prosecuted very well, attracts a life sentence.
