The guards of businessman Patrick Bitature have been summoned to Kololo police station on allegations of assault and beating up city lawyer, Raymond Aine.
A case has been opened at Kololo Police station under reference number; SD Ref 34/06/02/24.
Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) Spokesperson Patrick Onyango told Eagle Online that Bitature and his guards are under investigations.
“Yes, the case is at the initial stages but investigations have commenced” Onyango told Eagle Online.
Lawyer Aine hails from Kirunda and Wasige Advocates that represent Vantage Mezzanine Fund.
Vintage sued Simba Properties Investment Co. Ltd, Simba Telecom Ltd, Elgon Terrace Hotel Ltd and Linda Properties Ltd together with Patrick Bitature, his wife Carol Bitature, Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) and the commissioner of land registration.
In a ruling chaired by Justice Thomas Ocaya, court said that if Bitature was to be allowed to change the shareholding of the mentioned companies would cause an eventual court ruling on the same non implementable.
“In the interests of justice, I find that the applicants ought to obtain the reliefs sought in order to preserve their action in the main suit. In the premises, I make the following orders, in the interests of justice: (a) An order issues preventing 1st respondent (commissioner land registration) from taking any actions or conducting any proceedings in respect of the certificates of title that the 2nd to 7th respondents mortgaged to the applicants, that would affect the applicants’ rights and the merits of the final arbitral award and its addendum pending court’s determination of the application for recognition and enforcement of the arbitral award,” the judgment reads in part.
According to court records, Bitature obtained a loan facility of $10 million from Vantage but failed to pay in the scheduled time leading to a pile-up of interest, which he declined to pay. He then ran to court arguing that Vantage had no locus to sue him because it wasn’t legally operating in Uganda.
A number of court cases including arbitration have all held that Bitature is liable to pay the said monies. Bitature also filed a case in court to stop the enforcement of the arbitral award. According to the loan agreements, Bitature mortgaged the said properties to get the $10 million loan. In the judgment, court found that Bitature wanted to change the shareholding of the companies so that by the time the final decision is issued, they would be in other hands.
Court has also issued fresh criminal summons against Bitature and his wife to answer charges related to fraud.
A one Anthony Natif posted on his X handle that he was worried about the kind of stress Bitature and family are going through to reach an extent of beating up a lawyer.
“I do not understand what kind of power would make someone think the best way to refuse service is to have your guards beat up a lawyer till he pees his pants,” Natif stressed.
Natif further revealed that Aine Raymond told him that he (Aine) called Bitature’s daughter who asked him and his colleague to take it home and on reaching the gate, guards pounced on them.
Bitature has been known of his arrogance even in 2019 on Valentine’s Day evening he beat up a white man having dared to complain about the poor service at the SKYZ Motel.
