British businessman David Greenhalgh (R) with Shanita Namuyimbwa at Court
By Joseph Kiggundu
The Court of Appeal in Uganda has dismissed an appeal by British businessman David Greenhalgh and his company, Daveshan Development (U) Ltd, seeking to recover $3 million (approximately Shs 12 billion) from Kampala socialite Meddie Ssentongo.
A panel of three judges Eva Luswata, Florence Nakachwa and Stella Alibateese upheld a 2015 Commercial Court decision dismissing the claim, ruling that Greenhalgh had failed to prove that Ssentongo received the disputed money.
The judgment brings another chapter of the financial dispute involving Greenhalgh, Ssentongo and socialite Shanita Namuyimbwa, popularly known as Bad Black, to a close, more than a decade after the matter first filed in court.
Greenhalgh is separately serving a 16-year prison sentence in the United Kingdom following his conviction over illegal international arms deals.
Court finds no evidence against Ssentongo
In the lead judgment, Justice Florence Nakachwa ruled that although the Commercial Court had erred in questioning the legality of Daveshan’s incorporation, there was insufficient evidence linking Ssentongo to the missing funds.
“Indeed, the trial court rightly held that there was no linkage of funds moving either from Shanita Namuyimbwa or from the Appellants to the Respondent or to his personal bank accounts, despite his earlier criminal conviction for conspiracy to defraud,” Nakachwa ruled.
The dispute arose after Greenhalgh accused Bad Black , who was a director of Daveshan, of misappropriating millions of dollars transferred into the company’s accounts.
In July 2012, the Anti-Corruption Court convicted Bad Black of embezzlement and conspiracy to defraud, sentencing her to four years in prison. Ssentongo was sentenced to 18 months for conspiracy to defraud.
Greenhalgh subsequently pursued a civil claim against Ssentongo, arguing that the earlier criminal conviction established his liability for the missing money.
However, the Court of Appeal rejected that argument, explaining that a criminal conviction does not automatically establish liability in separate civil proceedings.
“A civil court is generally not bound by a criminal judgment under the strict doctrine of res judicata,” Nakachwa observed.
The judges said the criminal proceedings concerned conspiracy to defraud, while the civil case required Greenhalgh to prove that Ssentongo had personally received the money.
Bad Black’s spending and testimony
The court examined evidence that Bad Black had used Daveshan’s money to finance an extravagant lifestyle, including luxury vehicles, properties, parties and overseas trips.
According to the judgment, Bad Black admitted using company funds for plastic surgery in Dubai, medical procedures in Thailand and entertainment trips with friends.
Greenhalgh also testified that company money had been spent on vehicles, including a BMW X6, Range Rover, Nissan Murano and Mercedes-Benz, as well as houses in Kampala.
An audit witness told the Commercial Court that Bad Black had withdrawn approximately $3.285 million (Shs 13.14 billion), but could not establish how the money was spent.
Although Bad Black claimed to have given Ssentongo $3 million (Shs 12 billion) to purchase properties, the judges found that her account lacked independent corroboration.
Her credibility was further undermined by her admission that she had previously lied under oath at the Anti-Corruption Court about her dealings with Ssentongo.
“From the above analysis, I agree with the trial court’s finding that Shanita Namuyimbwa’s testimony that she lied to the Anti-Corruption Court that she had no dealings with the Respondent, makes her evidence unreliable,” Nakachwa stated.
The judges also noted that Greenhalgh had acknowledged during cross-examination that Ssentongo was not a signatory to Daveshan’s bank account and that the company’s audit report did not show him receiving the disputed money.
The Court of Appeal nevertheless faulted the Commercial Court for treating irregularities in Daveshan’s incorporation, particularly the alleged non-payment of stamp duty, as grounds for questioning its legal existence.
It ruled that such irregularities could have been corrected through payment of the outstanding duty and applicable penalties.
However, this did not affect the outcome of the case.
“In a nutshell, save for grounds 8 and 11 which succeed, this appeal lacks merit and it hereby fails,” Nakachwa ruled.
Justices Luswata and Alibateese agreed with the decision, dismissing the appeal with costs to Ssentongo.
Greenhalgh’s Background and UK Conviction
Greenhalgh, a British businessman associated with Croydon in south London, became widely known in Uganda through his relationship and business dealings with Bad Black .
The pair met in Kampala in 2009 and later established Daveshan Development (U) Ltd, which was involved in property investments.
Their relationship deteriorated after Greenhalgh accused Namuyimbwa of diverting millions of dollars from the company’s accounts.
Greenhalgh subsequently faced criminal proceedings in Britain over a separate international arms-brokering operation.
On September 23, 2026, Southwark Crown Court sentenced him to 16 years in prison following his conviction for offences involving illegal arms deals conducted between 2009 and 2016.
British prosecutors said Greenhalgh and his Greek business associate, Christos Farmakis, operated through the Airservices group of companies to facilitate unlicensed transactions involving military aircraft, missiles and assault rifles.
The deals involved destinations including Libya, Sudan and South Sudan, with transactions reportedly valued at tens of millions of dollars.
Greenhalgh’s UK conviction concerns separate offences and was not part of the Ugandan civil proceedings.
The Court of Appeal’s decision leaves intact the dismissal of his Shs 12 billion claim against Ssentongo, despite the latter’s earlier criminal conviction arising from the Daveshan dispute.