The High Court in Kampala has put a stop to the criminal charges brought against city lawyer Felix Kintu. He was accused of obtaining money under false pretences in connection to a disputed land transaction in Wakiso District. The charges were initially filed in the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court due to a 2013 land dispute involving the late George Kamya’s estate beneficiaries and Interlink Education Services Limited.
On Friday, Justice Isaac Muwata of the Criminal Division of the High Court made the decision to stay the criminal proceedings against Kintu. The reason cited was the existence of an ongoing civil case involving the 14 family members and their lawyer, which revolves around the same set of facts.
According to court records, in 2014, Interlink Education Services filed a lawsuit in the High Court against the 14 estate beneficiaries of late Kamya and Felix Kintu. The lawsuit accused them of breaching a sales agreement, which included providing a land title and removing squatters from a disputed 15-acre land in Gimbo, Wakiso District, Block 220, Plot 64. Additionally, Interlink Education Services aimed to recover the sum of Shs195 million, which they had paid for the land.
Justice Muwata characterized the 2022 criminal case filed in the Magistrates Court as an abuse of the court process. He stated that the decision in the ongoing civil dispute would be sufficient to determine the rightful seller and the party responsible for refunding the Shs195 million. To avoid conflicting judgments in the High Court and the lower court, he deemed it appropriate to stay the criminal proceedings, which would enable the High Court to hear and resolve the civil matter filed in early 2014.
Justice Muwata further noted that continuing with the case in the lower court would unfairly prejudice Kintu, who had represented the vendors in the disputed land transaction.
The entire legal matter revolves around a land transaction between the beneficiaries of the late Kamya’s estate and Interlink Education Services. They accused lawyer Felix Kintu of falsely obtaining Shs195 million under the pretence of selling land, which he did not possess.
Kintu welcomed the High Court’s decision, stating that the case against him lacked a legal basis and was frivolous. He expressed his satisfaction with the court’s decision, asserting that lawyers should not be held accountable for their clients’ mistakes.