What was a humble story carried by the Investigator to drum up peace talks above litigation, did prompt businessman Patrick Bitature to issue a public statement buying into our position! Bitature states, via the statement, his readiness to embrace reconciliation on the way to settling his long-standing debt affair with the South African money lenders.
This website used the Holy day of Sunday to urge Bitature and the South Africans to sit together with a view to reconcile their issues as opposed to exposing their dirty linen in the public courts. Our story titled; “Sunday Flashback: Bitature, South Africans Snubbed Jesus’ Counsel, Now See the Mess They Have Mugged Selves with,” was drawn largely from that one of Jesus Christ urging his followers to desist from allowing their differences to be resolved by earthly judges.
We also used the example of emeritus Justice James Munange Ogoola who, during his time as the founding boss of the commercial section of the high court, used to urge litigants to sit together and resolve their differences. Ogoola is credited for having established an arbitration court at the commercial court. This arm of the business court, have helped to settle many commercial disputes in an amicable manner, and hence, repaired hitherto broken business relationships.
Bitature’s debt crisis has been given derogatory interpretations by many Ugandans on social media. From labeling him a crooked debtor to cataloguing him an untouchable loan defaulter being backed by big people in government. He has been subjected to all such derogatory treatment. Bitature’s such bad relationship with his financers has also been causing problems for people who are innocent parties.
For making a ruling, indicating how the loan transaction was invalid since the lenders breached the law while issuing out the loan, Justice Musa Ssekaana ended up being labelled a buddy of crooked borrowers. For representing Bitature, lawyer Fred Muwema himself ended up being labelled a crooked lawyer. Not only that, Muwema was also ordered by Justice Stephen Nsubuga to pay unspecified legal costs for allegedly misleading Bitature into resisting attempts by the money lenders to criminally prosecute him over the same loan.
Yet Muwema’s only sin was to advise the judge that his client couldn’t be criminally prosecuted, at the same time, when the same matters are being subjected to arbitration. And also, when the money lenders are appealing against Justice Sakana’s ruling. But now that Bitature is agreeable to settling these matters amicably, we can only hope and pray that his accusers are going to turn the favor. In any case, the arbitration was made part and parcel of the agreement via which they lent money to Bitature.
For the reason that London was chosen by the parties as the neutral ground where to hold such reconciliation talks, would remove any doubts about the partiality of the process since none of the parties is a resident of London.
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