By Our Reporter
City lawyer David K. Mpanga is in deep trouble after failing to refund over Shs9Bn which was paid to his law firm AF Mpanga Bowman in 2017 by Bank of Uganda.
The said money was paid to Mpanga such that his law firm could represent Bank of Uganda in a case the Central Bank had filed against tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia, accusing him of allegedly siphoning Shs397Bn from Crane Bank before it was closed by BoU in 2016 and later sold to Dfcu bank in 2017.
Mpanga was however thrown out of the case after court ruled that he had conflict of interest because he had ealier on been working as both Crane Bank and Sudhir’s lawyer.
After being thrown out of the case by BoU, they hired new lawyers who however also didn’t succeed and few months later the high court commercial division dismissed the case with costs, in Sudhir’s favour.
However, despite the fact that Mpanga had been thrown out of the case, he did not refund the money he had been paid together with his law firm for the said job.
It is for that reason that concerned citizens under pressure group Uganda Poor Youth Movement (UPYM) have embarked on a campaign to make him cough the tax payers’ money which BoU had paid him.
Led by the UPYM speaker Zaid Ssempala, the pressure group revealed on Friday at a press conference that they have since petitioned several organisations about the matter, such that they can prevail upon Mpanga to refund the tax payers’ money which he pocketed for a job he never did.
Ssempala said that “We have petitioned Bowamans Gilfillan African Group, the Uganda Law Soiety, International Bar Association UK Bar Association and other relevant authorities to get involved this matter. Mpanga is exhibiting a lot of unprofessionalims and unethical behaviour in his mode of operation, reason why these organisation have to investigate his actions institute the necessary disciplinary action he deserves.”
Ssempala added that “on top of refunding the money BoU gave him for a job he didn’t execute, we also want him to apologise for his unprofessional conduct and wrongs he has committed against Ugandans, including those he disenfranchised before he was fired by Buganda kingdom, which had employed him in key positions of offering legal advice to the Kabaka.”
The UPYM also revealed that they have written to the Inspector General of Government and Bank of Uganda notifying them about the matter but that both institutions have never responded,an indication that none of them is willing to recover the dime or compel Mpanga to refund it.
Because of the reluctancy from both the IGG and BoU to fight this fraudulent enrichment, the UPYM warned that as tax payers they will not give up on their efforts to make Mpanga vomit the dime and show accountability for the same.
However, efforts to contact Mpanga for a comment over the matter were futile since he couldn’t be reached through his known phone contacts.
