Solomon Muyita
10 November 2007
Kampala — COURT has summoned the MP for Luuka County to answer charges of forgery and falsification of vehicle documents allegedly to evade taxes. According to documents in a private prosecution filed by Kampala Associated Advocates (KAA) filed at Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court, Mr Meddie Bidi Mulumba falsified the manufacture dates of a Mitsubishi Fuso truck he imported in 1995. In this, he allegedly intended to deprive the Uganda Revenue Authority of over Shs6.2 million in taxes. But Mr Mulumba says city fraudsters used his names and forged his signatures.
A city trader, Mr Grace Mukunde, who claims to have purchased the lorry from Mr Mulumba at Shs78 million instructed KAA to prosecute the MP after URA impounded the vehicle.
Since the vehicle is still in Mr Mulumba's names, the tax body wrote to him on September 24, demanding that he immediately pays Shs6,224,276, and Shs8,586,850 in penalties.
But Mr Mulumba, who is expected in the dock on November 12 (Monday) has since petitioned the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) claiming that the dealers who bought the car from him forged the papers. He wants the DPP to halt his prosecution until an independent investigation is conducted by the CID.
"This is malice. These people's intention is simply to embarrass me. I did nothing wrong at all," Mr Mulumba said. In a November 6 letter, his lawyers, B.M. Gimara Advocates, asked the DPP to drop the charges. " We humbly request you to discontinue the proceedings intended to malign our client," the letter reads in part.
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