UGANDA – Kampala | Real Muloodi News | As reported by PML Daily, the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (COSASE) sub-committee declared Real Muloodi Sudhir Ruparelia as the legitimate owner of Plot 24 Kampala Road.
The Departed Asians Properties Custodian Board (DAPCB) informed the investigation sub-committee in July 2019 that the original proprietors never repossessed Sudhir’s property before selling it to him.
However, the COSASE investigation determined that he legitimately owns the property after having bested DAPCB in court in 2012.
The tycoon, who is a leader in real estate and hospitality investment, bought Plot 24 Kampala Road in 1995. He and sought judicial review in the High Court following claims over it by the Custodian Board.
Sudhir’s case is one of 13 that the DAPCB has lost out of 124 cases against the body that governs the assets left behind by Asians. So far, the DAPCB has won 10 lawsuits, while 99 remain unresolved.
Parliament states it cannot conduct any hearings or judgement on this property or some other cases the Court has ruled or are currently in Court.
Sudhir, who has a track record of winning high-profile trials, anticipated this when he opposed the Parliament’s inquiry in a letter to Speaker Rebecca Kadaga on 14th August 2019.
“We seek clarification and guidance from you whether Parliament can inquire into a judgement by the Court, or the current status of a matter in Court. Also, can concerned parties come to Parliament for another decision?” read part of the letter by COSASE.
Sudhir appeared before the probe sub-committee on 30th June 2020 to iron out the issues raised in the claims by the DAPCB. MPs did not raise any queries, as they agreed to examine the documents before writing their report. The sub-committee did not make further mention of Sudhir in its report to Parliament concerning other properties it had complained about in the initial stages of the probe.
The subcommittee has identified the cases in which the DAPCB lost and has requested that the understaffed agency be allowed to employ at least two law firms to help process the remaining cases in Court.
MPs accuse the DAPCB of being too lax in filing defenses when sued. Most lawsuits the DACPB has filed have been in Court for two years with no justification. The Custodian Board blamed Attorney General William Byaruhanga for failing to provide legal aid in prosecuting lawsuits.
Attorney General William Byaruhanga told the subcommittee during his appearance that his chambers are “understaffed and completely stretched.”
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