Lawyers representing David Mpanga of AF Mpanga Advocates and Timothy Masembe Kanyerezi from FK Mpanga and Company Advocates (MMAKS), representing Bank of Uganda (BOU) in the main suit against tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia and Meera Investments have reportedly today told court that all lawyers are corruptible and unethical.
The two lawyers are battling it out with Sudhir over conflict of interest as the two are attorneys for Bank of Uganda that dragged Sudhir and Crane Bank to court. Sudhir wants the two to be his witness in the case.
Through his lawyers of Kampala Associated Advocates Sudhir told court that on several occasions, companies in which he was a shareholder gave instructions to MMAKs Advocates and sought legal assistance from them.”
One of Sudhir’s lawyers Bruce Musinguzi asked court to consider a confession where counsels from MMAKS advocates admitted to getting instructed to look into the shareholding of Crane Bank as well as holding various trainings for Crane Bank Directors.
Some of the lawyers for the respondents are quoted to have said told court that all lawyers are corruptible and unethical.
The two lawyers were arguing their case before Commercial Court Judge Justice David Wangutusi who has set November 14, 2017 as date to deliver a ruling on the application filed in court where Sudhir objects the two lawyers to represent Bank of Uganda in the main suit against him and his Meera investments.
Ruparelia took Mpanga Masembe to Court last week. He accuses the two for professional breach of trust and conflict of interest when they accepted to represent Bank of Uganda in a case where BOU is the complaint against Ruparelia. He says that the two lawyers know all the confidential information of the bank and that letting them represent BOU will prejudice the case.
Rather than Central Bank and Crane Bank lawyers, Sudhir wants lawyers Mpanga and Masembe to appear in this case as witnesses because they know more about the operations of Crane Bank.
In reply to these submissions, Counsel Masembe from MMAKS argued that his firm never represented Sudhir as an individual but his companies.
He added that Sudhir’s claims that MMAKS acted on his behalf while purchasing plots in Kawempe has nothing to do with this case which entails extraction of huge sums of money from Crane Bank.
“We the lawyers are independent people; we are not mouthpieces of our clients,” he stressed.
Mpanga on the other hand, asked Justice Wangutusi to maintain them as Crane Bank lawyers saying that the evidence adduced by Sudhir is not sufficient enough to prove they have in any way breached the professional code of conduct, having not even come across any information regarding the current case in which Bank of Uganda accuses Sudhir of fraudulently obtaining US$400m from his former Crane Bank.
However, as he set the date the November 14 ruling, Justice Wangutusi urged the two sides in the suit to have mediation meetings before his ruling.
“You settle the matter before November so that you can maintain the relationship you have been having” Justice Wangutusi advised the two parties.
