KAMPALA — A city lawyer representing Agro Value Limited has petitioned the Uganda Revenue Authority, accusing its legal officers of releasing counterfeit goods in defiance of a court order.
In a petition dated Feb. 6 and addressed to the URA commissioner of customs, lawyer Rashid Babu said tax officials released containers of suspected counterfeit beer despite an interim order from the Jinja High Court barring the move.
Agro Value Limited, the proprietors of Rambo Beer, recently sued Royal Crown International and URA over the disputed consignment.
According to Babu, the Jinja High Court issued an interim order Jan. 30 restraining URA from releasing two specific containers — MRKU 3492510 and MRKU 3512302 — pending the determination of a temporary injunction. The order, signed by deputy registrar Robert Mukanza, was reportedly served on the tax body Feb. 2.
However, Agro Value claims URA officers, including senior tax and legal manager Blaise Ikwero, released the containers to Royal Crown International regardless of the legal stay. Colline Masiga represents Royal Crown in the matter.
Babu said the release of the goods renders his client’s case nugatory. He has demanded that URA impound the released products and comply with the court order or face further legal action.
The petition also notes that if the tax body fails to act, the lawyers will notify the State House Anti-Corruption Unit to investigate allegations that URA officers extorted money from parties connected to the case.
Court documents show that Agro Value has been the registered owner of the Rambo Beer trademark in several countries for more than a decade. Babu said a syndicate began infringing on the trademark about seven months ago, leading to lawsuits in Uganda, Poland, Lithuania and the United Arab Emirates.
“While other jurisdictions are respecting the law, Uganda, which should have set a precedent, has done the contrary through URA’s alleged violation of court orders,” Babu stated.
The petition further claims URA was aware of ongoing criminal investigations by Interpol, which had been communicated to the tax body in writing.
Interpol Kampala has reportedly written to authorities in Rwanda, Congo, Tanzania, China, the Netherlands and the UAE in an effort to dismantle the counterfeiting network.
Mathias Mulumba, the human resource officer for Agro Value Limited, said the syndicate recently shifted operations to the Port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, where he alleges the counterfeit beer enters the region freely.
