MASAKA. Former Ugandan ambassador to Switzerland and Nigeria Maurice Peter Kagimu Kiwanuka has been sentenced to six-month imprisonment for skipping court summons.
Kagimu , the son of Uganda’s first black Chief Justice Benedicto Kiwanuka was arrested on Monday at his residence in Kampala, after skipping court summons for some time, is also facing charges of failing to pay Shs1.2 billion debt.
The former diplomat was dragged to court by Bukomansimbi based coffee farmer, Richard Kiwanuka Ssansa, a resident of Kisaabwa village in Butenga sub county in Bukomansimbi District.
Records before court indicate that Ssansa borrowed Shs 500 million to Kagimu in 2015, and he was paying in installments until he failed to meet his payment plan and the debt plus the interest rate accumulated, mounting to over a billion shillings to date.
Appearing before Masaka High Court Registrar Roy Karungi, Kagimu was read two counts of skipping court summons and failing to pay debt.
Kagimu who was not given a chance to say anything in court, had asked his lawyers led by Peter Kimanje Nsibambi and Cyrus Nsubuga to process bail for him which was not granted.
Derrick Matovu, Ssansa’ lawyer told court that despite serving Kagimu several court summons to appear before court over his debt case he stubbornly kept making no show in court which prompted them to seek for his arrest.
The high court registrar, Karungi told court that skipping court summons is an offence, sentencing Kagimu to six months imprisonment.
However, Nsubuga said that they are going to appeal the court decision of six months jail term saying that the punishment was so harsh.
Speaking to Journalists after court Ssansa said that he has been a longtime friend to Kagimu and used borrowing him money, but in 2016, failed to meet his payment dragging him to court. He said court found him guilty and he was ordered to pay him Shs 800m with costs which he failed to pay to date.
He said that he went back to court seek an order to attach his property to pay the debt but he was not successful which prompted him to push for his arrest.
“I had to engage the bailiff to help me arrest him, after refusing to come to court despite the several court summonses issued against him, I need Kagimu to pay back my money because he has caused me a big financial loss for long, now that he is prison, we are going to seek court to have his debt case come up again so that he can also face it” said