By Andrew Irumba
City businessman Mukesh Babubhai Shukla aka Shumuk, the proprietor of Shumuk Aluminium Industries LTD, is in deep trouble after losing a property war against late Dr. Bonney Katatumba’s family, and he is set to pay over Shs10Bn in damages and legals costs, TheSpy Uganda reports.
Trouble for Shumuk started when the Katatumba Family dragged him to Buganda Road Magistrates Court, accusing him of 13 accounts of forgery and uttering false documents.
Shumuk was accused together with others still at large of forging signatures and sales agreement (Handover Financial document) indicating that late Katatumba had sold to him Hotel Diplomate in Muyenga and that his children Angela Katatumba, Rugiirwa Katatumba, Ian Katatumba, their mother Anne Grace Katatumba and ASP George William Karyegira had signed as signatories on the sale agreement.
He also alleged that he had bought other properties from Katatumba which included Katatumba Suites, Hotel Diplomate and Katatumba Banda Island, for which he had even acquired certificates of title.
However, a police handwriting expert told court last week that the signatures Shumuk claimed belonged to members of the Katatumba family who had signed on the documents he had presented in court were all forged, just like the documents.
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 cough over Shs11Bn.
Court also issued an order that Shumuk cancels all titles for the properties which he had illegally transferred into his names.
On Sunday morning, popular singer, social light and businesswoman Angela Katatumba ran to her social media and expressed her excitement on behalf of Katatumba family thus; “I WOKE UP TODAY EXPECTING A MIRACLE OF OUR VICTORY IN COURT WITH SHUMUK AND I GOT IT.
I LOVE AND THANK YOU JESUS AND I HUMBLY GIVE YOU ALL THE GLORY.
WE BEAT SHUMUK ON ALL GROUNDS AND I MEAN… ON ALL GROUNDS TODAY IN COURT.
WHAT A VICTORY LORD. THANK YOU.
SHUMUK HAS TO PAY INTEREST OF 24% PER YEAR OF THE 1.9M USD BALANCE HE OWES DR. KATATUMBA FROM THE PERIOD OF 6 YEARS HE HAS OCCUPIED KATATUMBA SUITES.
WHICH COMES OUT TO OVER 10 BILLION UGX.
– SHUMUK HAS TO PAY COSTS…(estimated to be in the hundreds of millions)
– SHUMUK HAS TO PAY DAMAGES… (estimated to be in the hundreds of millions)
-AND SHUMUK HAS TO PAY 300,000 MILLION UGX TO DR BONEY KATATUMBA FOR HIS PERSONAL SUFFERING AND THE DAMAGE DONE TO HIS REPUTATION.
– THE JUDGE ORDERED SHUMUK TO CANCEL ALL THE TITLES (KATATUMBA SUITES, HOTEL DIPLOMATE AND KATATUMBA BANDA ISLAND) THAT HE FRAUDULENTLY TRANSFERRED IN HIS NAMES. THEY WILL BE PUT BACK IN KATATUMBA’S NAMES.
BOOOOOMMMM THAT’S HOW MY JESUS WORKS.”
