MBALE – City businessman Mukesh Babubhai Shukla aka Shumuk, the proprietor of Shumuk Aluminium Industries LTD has suffered a blow as the High Court has ordered him to pay Shs10 billion to Dr. Bonney Katatumba’s family.
According to court documents accessed by PML Daily, Shumuk will pay this in damages and legals costs suffered by the Late Dr Katatumba family.
In the ruling delivered last week, the court in Kampala also issued an order that Shumuk cancels all titles for the properties which he had illegally transferred into his names.
Hotel Diplomate in Muyenga has been a subject of a long-standing dispute in court between Shumuk and former consular of Pakistan in Uganda Boney Mwebesa Katatumba (now deceased) and his family over ownership in Muyenga suburb.
On Sunday morning, popular singer, social light and businesswoman Ms Angela Katatumba ran to her social media and expressed her excitement on behalf of Katatumba family saying;
“I woke up today expecting a miracle of our victory I over Shumuk and I got it. I love and thank you Jesus and humbly give you all the glory. We beat Shumuk on all ground and I mean in all grounds today in court, what a victory lord, thank you,” she wrote on her Facebook page.
This means that Shumuk has to pay interest of 24% per year of the 1,9M Us dollars balance he owes Dr Katatumba from a period of six years he has been occupying the Katatumba suites which will amount to over Shs 10. Billion
Trouble for Shumuk came after the Katatumba Family dragged him to Buganda Road Magistrates Court, accusing him of 13 accounts of forgery and uttering false documents.
This comes barely two weeks after a handwriting expert testified that signatures on the alleged court judgment authorising handover of the contested Hotel Diplomate in Muyenga suburb to city businessman Shukla Babubhai Mukesh aka Shumuk were forged.
Records this reporter has seen indicate that Shumuk is accused together with others still at large of forging signatures and sales agreement (Handover Financial document) showing that late Katatumba had sold to him Hotel Diplomate in Muyenga.
The state prosecutor, Ms Miriam Njuki alleges that the accused and others still at large on or around April 17, 2015 in Kampala district, with intent to defraud or deceive forged a letter for official hand over of Hotel Diplomate in Muyenga, a Kampala suburb.
The letter is purportedly believed to have been signed by the deceased Consular of Pakistan Islamic Republic in Uganda Bonny Katatumba, whereas not.
It is further contended that the accused forged signatures of Anne Grace Katatumba, Angella Katatumba, Rugirwa Katatumba, Ian Katatumba and ASP George William Karyegira.
The prosecution also asserts that Mukesh and others still at large in November 6, 2017, in Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kampala, uttered six false documents as purported official handover letters of Hotel Diplomate.
The accused, in April 2015, in Kampala business Centre, is alleged to have conspired to commit forgery and uttered false documents for official handover of Hotel Diplomate.
Following the exposure of Shumuk’s forgery, court ordered him to vacate all the properties he illegally grabbed from the Katatumba family, compensate the family for the damages and losses they incurred during the time he has been illegally occupying their properties and to bear costs of the suit, a combination of which will see him part with over Shs11Bn.
What the judge was ordered:
-Shumuk to pay costs of the suit
-Shumuk to pay damages
-Shumuk to also pay to Shs 300,000,000 million to Late Dr Boney Katatumba for his personal suffering and the damage done to his reputation
– The judge also ordered Shumuk to cancel all the titles [Katatumba suites, Hotel Diplomate and Katatumba Banda Island] that he fraudulently transferred to his names.
Background
Since 2008, the Katatumba family has been embroiled in a protracted legal battle for the multibillion properties with Mr Shumuk.
They include a building in a prime city area on Plot 2 Colville Street in Kampala; Hotel Diplomate in Muyenga and Katatumba Banda Island which had been transferred to Shumuk’s business empire.
