Court orders Shumuk to table papers on ownership of hotel

286
Court orders Shumuk to table papers on ownership of hotel
Court orders Shumuk to table papers on ownership of hotel

Africa-Press – Uganda. The hearing of a case in which Kampala businessman Shukla Babubhai Mukesh, aka Shumuk, is charged with forgery in connection with ownership of Hotel Diplomate in Muyenga, Kampala, resumed yesterday.

Court ordered the businessman to defend himself against the said charges.

Presiding magistrate Marion Mangeni of Buganda Road Court ordered Mr Shumuk to present documents, among others, the official handover letter of the hotel to him by the family of the deceased Boney Mwebesa Katatumba.

He was also ordered to present the same documentation on January 24.

The order followed Mr Shumuk’s claims to be the owner of the said hotel.

Prosecution alleges that the businessman and others still at large on or about April 17, 2015, in Kampala District, with intent to defraud or deceive, forged a letter for the official handover of the hotel, purporting to have been signed by the late Katatumba.

It is further alleged that Mr Shumuk forged signatures of the deceased’s widow Anne Grace Katatumba, his children Ms Angela Katatumba, Mr Rugirwa Katatumba, Mr Ian Katatumba, and assistant superintendent of police George William Karyegira to achieve the same purpose. Last year, a police handwriting expert, Mr Erisa Ssebuufu, testified before court that the signatures on the alleged official handover document of the hotel were forgeries.

He added that he received sample signatures from the questioned document, a photocopy of late Katatumba’s diplomatic passport and specimen signatures of his widow, Ms Anne Grace Katatumba.

“I found that the questioned signature on the exhibit attributed to late Katatumba had a pictorial resemblance with the specimen signatures, however, a detailed examination showed fundamental differences between them. They differed in shape, design and also the crossing lines which were relatively longer on the specimen,” Mr Ssebuufu told court.

“I also found that the questioned signature attributed to Grace Katatumba was different from the specimen signatures. There was use of dotes in samples which is not observed in the specimen signatures, they are also different in proportion of loops,” he added.

Mr Ssebuufu also said he examined the alleged signatures of the late Katatumba’s children on the questioned documents with the specimen signatures and found outstanding differences.

He concluded that it is most likely that the authors of the specimen signatures did not sign the questioned signatures on the exhibits.

For More News And Analysis About Uganda Follow Africa-Press

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here