By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
NATIONAL
High Court Judge Emmanuel Baguma has directed Lawyers in a case filed by two Ugandans; challenging the agreement between government of Uganda and the Italian Investor to manage the production, export and setting of coffee prices; to file written submissions for and against this case by 31st/October/2022.
Justice Baguma issued the time lines after meeting all the parties in this case this afternoon including one of the Applicants Henry Byansi; Commissioner Civil Litigation George Kallemera from Attorney General’s Office; Applicants’ Lawyer Derrick Tukwasibwe and the Lawyer representing Uganda Vinci Coffee Company_ Gerald Batanda.
The Judge and the Parties agreed that Judgement in this case will be delivered on 15thDecember, 2022 via email.
However what is now left is for Court to interrogate the process that led to the implementation of the said agreement dated 10th February, 2022 and determine whether the decision taken by the Government was proper.
The aggreived Henry Byansi and Micheal Aboneka both Lawyers dragged the Attorney General and Uganda Vinci Coffee Company Ltd owned by an Italian investor to Court seeking to set aside the said agreement signed on 10thFebruary, 2022.
In their case, Byansi and Aboneka are contesting the actions of the Minister of Finance Matia Kasaijja of signing an agreement with the said coffee company without making necessary consultations.
However, in defence the Attorney General
contends that all the required legal, administrative and consultative processes were adhered to; and the execution of the agreement by government was informed by the overall government policy to invest in value addition; and specifically agro processing in line with the National Coffee Policy and National Coffee Act of 2021.
