Jailed Sipapa’s lawyers abandon him for failure to pay them
Lawyers representing jailed Kampala socialite, Charles Olim, also known as Sipapa have abandoned him after failure to pay them.
Sipapa was arrested together with his wife, Shamilah Nakiyimba over involvement in the robbery of shs1.6 billion from the home of Jacob Arok a South Sudan national, in Kawuku-Bunga in Kampala on the night of August 28, 2022.
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The duo has since been charged over aggravated robbery and subsequently remanded to Luzira.
However, in a September, 26, 2022 letter, the lawyers of Elgon Advocates led by Robert Rutaro say that whereas on receipt of instructions from Sipapa and wife seeking for legal representation they informed the duo that they will be charged legal fees for their involvement, this has not been fulfilled by the two jailed lovers.
“To our disappointment, you have not paid even a single coin to the firm as legal fees. The nature of your case being grave/ and given the nature of evidence involved, your case requires high a level of research and sophisticated technical expertise to have strong defences as counsel would have to spend sleepless nights reading the law in and out in order to ably represent you. That kind of preparedness must be facilitated and remunerated,” the lawyers says in the letter to Sipapa, also copied to the Makindye Chief Magistrates court, Resident State Attorney for Makindye and the officer in charge of Luzira Upper Prisons.
The lawyers argue that despite the requirement of facilitation to prepare for the case, the city socialite and his wife have not paid any coin in form of legal fees to facilitate this.
“Despite our repetitive demands to you including several visits to you at Luzira Maximum Prisons where we discussed the subject of legal fees, you have failed and or refused to pay for our services. All the contacts you asked us to see or meet for payment have not been helpful either.”
The lawyers say they have not been left with any other option apart from withdrawing their legal services to Sipapa.
“Please feel free to share our address with your next lawyers to contact us for your files.”
The development comes a few days after police indicated that following Sipapa’s arrest, his fingerprints and other DNA samples were taken and later subjected to their database of wanted criminals.
Results from the laboratory indicated that Sipapa had allegedly been involved in 12 other robberies in various parts of the city since 2014.
Charges
Sipapa and his wife, Shamilah Nakiyimba face charges related to aggravated robbery contrary to section 285and 286 of the Penal Code Act .
