By Hannah Marion Namukasa
Court has summoned two lawyers who are accused of fraud in regard to alleged forgery of land sale agreements for Kibanja in Katanga near Wandegeya. The Magistrates Court at Buganda Road, Jalia Basajjabalaba issued criminal summons against the lawyers; Robert Senfuka and Umar Nyanzi to answer accusations of forgery and uttering false documents.
“Let the accused persons (Ssenfuka and Nyanzi) appear and take plea. I will also hear any application in relation to the case after I have read the file,” held Magistrate Basajjabalaba before directing the lawyers to appear in court on December 17, 2014.
The court summons followed failure of the accused lawyers to appear to plead to the charges. It is alleged that the lawyers Ssenfuka and Nyanzi attached to SK & Partners Advocates while acting for and on behalf of their client, Dr Ntwatwa Lule committed criminal acts. Court documents indicate that the accused lawyers are alleged to have committed forgery, uttering false documents and conspired to commit a felony when knowingly and unlawfully altered sales agreements dated February 9, 1996 and August 13, 1996 respectively.
However, the lawyers through their representatives objected to the charges and asked the court to quash earlier proceedings. Isaac Ayebazibwe, one of the lawyers representing the accused persons pleaded in vain to stop the court from issuing criminal summons against his clients.
“Your worship, we have instructions from our clients to apply to court to quash the proceedings earlier made. Also to inform court that the case file has been called by the registrar in the High Court,” he said.
Ayebazibwe’s request followed a submission in which the private prosecutor, Alex Kiweewa asked the court to issue arrest warrant against Ssenfuka and Nyanzi, reasoning that the duo had failed to appear despite criminal summons being served on them.
In the complaint filed by the private prosecutor on behalf of pastor Daniel Walugembe, the accused lawyers allegedly forged the said sales agreements to alter original and authentic agreements drawn by the parties when the complainant was purchasing his Kibanja on Katanga land in 1996.
According to court records, Mr Ssenfuka and Nyanzi forged Walugembe’s agreement of February 9, 1996 and that August 13 1996 to indicate MTN telephone numbers of him (Walugembe) and his lawyer as well as bearing Land Act Cap 227 as the law under which the agreement was executed in 1996 yet it did not exist but alter the authentic agreements acquired by Pr Walugembe. The complaint further states that the genuine and authentic sales agreements bore a certificate of translation whereas the forged ones did not. Walugembe contends that the said agreements were orginated on behalf o
