By Andrew Irumba
Kampala: Lawyers representing Mahathi Infra Uganda, a multi-billion international company dealing in power, oil and gas have received stern instructions from their bosses to take on dreadlocked renowned city Lawyer Isaac Ssemakadde, who is the founder & CEO-Legal Brains Trust. Ssemakadde is lawyer to Wang Yong Yie, a widow to late Ji Zhong Wu, a Chinese national who mysteriously died in Uganda on September 11 2021.
On Wednesday, Ssemakadde, in a press conference accused the company, its managing Director and its Chairman in Uganda Capt. Mike Mukula (President Museveni’s Vice Chairman Eastern Region) of subjecting Mr.Wu to all manner of violations including but not limited to confiscation of his passport, overstaying his visa, forced & illegal employment, and finally death due to the company’s outrageous negligence.
However, Mahathi’s lead counsel, Robert Kirunda of Kirunda & Wasike Co.Advocates, while answering questions from journalists during a press conference at Sheraton Hotel on Thursday, trashed Ssemakadde’s statements allegations.
“Mahathi Infra Uganda Limited does not engage in human sacrifice, do not exploit their employees to death, has never exerted undue influence or engaged in “misinformation and disinformation” and is certainly not engaged in human trafficking. Mahathi Infra has never hired the services of late Ji Zong Wu as Ssemakadde and his widow Wong want to allege,” Kirunda said.
However, Kirunda’s defense didn’t stop lawyer Ssemakadde from dragging the company to Court that has since issued criminal summons against top bosses ordering them to respond within 15 days from 28, October 2021.
”Whereas the above-named plaintiff has instituted a suit against you upon the claim the particulars of which are set out in the copy of the plaint attached hereto; You are hereby required to file a written statement of defence within fifteen (15) days from the date of service of summons on you in the manner prescribed under Order 9 rule 1 of the Civil Procedures; and should you fail to file a written statement of defence in the suit on or before the date mentioned, the plaintiff will proceed with the suit and judgment may be given in your absence,” reads summons.
Meanwhile, Mahathi’s lawyer Kirunda responding to summons said he was happy to receive them because they [Mahathi] would use the opportunity to press harder counsel Ssemakadde to produce evidence of every allegation they uttered with his client, adding that, this was the only ‘fair’ thing for Ssemakadde to do, which the company will use to paint out the true ‘picture’.
“I will actually hold counsel Ssemakade personally liable to produce evidence of whatever he and his client have said. And in this case, Ssemakade isn’t only quoting his client having said such, no, the clips actually shows Ssemakade speaking foe himself. So he will bring evidence,” said Kirunda.
He said Company and its principal persons and officers are treating the entirety of Ssemakadde’s communication as libellous and defamatory material on the basis of which they have received firm and stern instructions to take decisive legal action. ”We will hold Mr.Semakadde and his clients to the strictest proof of their baseless, spurious and materially false allegations,” vows Kirunda.
Kirunda further spits venom, ”We will resist every attempt at defaming, blackmailing and mudslinging our client and its principal persons with the contempt and full force of the law that they deserve.”
Mahathi Infra,in trying to disassociate with the allegations, they’ve since run to Police asking them for an inquest into the matter to ascertain the whole truth behind the whole saga. According to their lawyers, they suspect this could be a mafia game to foil their muliti billion projects in the East African region.
“You need to study carefully, why Ssemakade kept on mentioning the good name of Mahathi Infra Chairman in Uganda during his pressor Capt Mike Mukula but skipped his name when it came to the kaw suit, what was his motive? Secondly, how did Kabaka’s name get dragged into the death of a Chinese in Uganda, who’s not his employee? So we’re not taking anything lightly,” added Kirunda
Kirunda that Ssemakade as a lawyer knows that a chairman of a company isn’t involved in the day-to-day running of the company, but he had to drag in Mukula for alterior motives. Keep logged here for all the updates on this story….
