Bobi Wine loses bid to stop URA from re-evaluating his armored vehicle

By Ruth Anderah 

Former presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has lost the bid not to have his armored vehicle repossessed and re-evaluated by URA.

This is after High Court Judge Emmanuel Baguma ruled that he sees no injustice and does see Kyagulanyi suffer irreparable damages if he surrenders his newly acquired Land Cruiser to URA for re-assessment.

At the beginning of March, Kyagulanyi petitioned the High Court seeking an injunction restraining the Commissioner General of the Uganda Revenue Authority from impounding and re-examining his car as it would be an infringement on his guaranteed constitutional rights to quietly possess and own property.

According to URA which has now been given the green light to impound and re-possess the said vehicle, inquiries were made and it was established that Kyagulanyi’s car was valued and cleared as an ordinary vehicle yet it is an armored car;   whose importation and ownership are restricted under the customs law and laws regulating the UPDF.

Kyagulanyi, instead challenged this move as being illegal saying the vehicle was duly assessed while in URA’s Warehouse, with all taxes cleared before it was released to him by the authority officials who never raised any queries at the time.

He wanted the High Court to intervene and stop URA from repossessing this car, arguing that it will not only render his movements difficult but also stop him from getting the protection he sought from this car, since the tax body does not specify how long it will take re-examining the car.

Justice Baguma says he has not been persuaded by this reasoning and hence dismissed Kyagulanyi’s application.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna