Lawyers threaten to boycott judge

Apr 16, 2009

The Uganda Law Society has threatened to boycott Justice Anup Singh Choudry’s court if he is not stopped from handling cases.

By Anne Mugisa

The Uganda Law Society has threatened to boycott Justice Anup Singh Choudry’s court if he is not stopped from handling cases.

In a letter, the lawyers asked Principal Judge James Ogoola to stop allocating cases to Choudry until the Judicial Service Commission resolves their complaint against him. The lawyers accuse Choudry of engaging in fraudulent dealings in Britain, which struck him off the list of solicitors in the UK in 2000. The commission is investigating the complaints.

The commission this month said it had written to the British solicitors’ tribunal over Choudry’s professional conduct and were still waiting for a response.

The judge has in the past refused to comment on the matter.

In the petition signed by 98 members, the lawyers asked Ogoola to use his “administrative powers to stop the allocation of court files to Justice Choudry”.

They said short of this, they would “take the more confrontational approach of seeking an injunction restraining Justice Choudry from acting as High Court Judge”.

They urged Ogoola to “move quickly in order to protect the interests of the litigants, the Bar and the Bench”.

The reputation of the Judiciary, they said, was being damaged by the fact that a person with a tainted background “sits at its heart”.

Choudry is a High Court judge in the Commercial Division. He was sworn in last year by President Yoweri Museveni.

The lawyers also contended that Choudry was not qualified to be a High Court judge under the Ugandan Constitution.

According to them, Chapter 143(e) requires such a person to have been an advocate for at least 10 years running.
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