Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has ordered for the return of Bobi Wine’s popular bullet proof car, which was impounded by the tax collecting body, Uganda Revenue Authority a few months back.
A few months ago, both major and social media outlets were awash with news of how former Kyadondo East legislator Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu had acquired an armored bullet proof car.
The singer turned politician went ahead himself to announce the news on his social media pages. A lot of theories emerged on the car from different people.
The singer went ahead to say that the car which was valued over 600M Ugx was gifted to him by his fans for his safety.
This was a security precaution by the NUP supporters both locally and abroad after what had been a turbulent presidential campaign.
However, after garnering a lot of public and media attention, the car started getting issues with the tax collecting body, URA.
URA sought a court injunction to collect the car for a new evaluation and assessment which was denied. However, after a second appeal, the car was finally taken to Nakawa under the watch of NUP lawyers.
URA said it had wrongly valued the car at first since it did not know it was bullet proofed and armored. They therefore ordered Bobi Wine to pay a huge sum of 337M Ugx to reclaim the car.
After a series of exchanges between the tax collecting body and the politician’s team, Bobi Wine has finally regained his car.
However, it did not get returned because his lawyers had outsmarted URA, it was rather on President Museveni’s orders.
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URA said in it’s letter while handing the car back that they had done so on the orders of the President and Kyagulanyi will still have to pay the levied fees.
“This is to further inform you that we have a received a directive from His Excellency the President of the Republic of Uganda to the effect that Uganda Revenue Authority release your client’s motor vehicle immediately.” Part of the statement to Bobi Wine’s lawyers read.
After receiving the news, Bobi Wine took to his social media pages to decry the actions of the government which he called illegal.
He went ahead to say how URA had no legal grounds to impound his car from the start. Bobi Wine directed his barrage of attacks to Mr Museveni of how he had mismanaged the country as his personal property.
“Gen Museveni continues to misrule our country and to treat it as his personal property. He ordered the impounding of the vehicle without regard to the law and has now ordered it’s release without reference to the law.” Bobi Wine posted.
It’s not known whether the politician will go ahead to pay the fees or continue to wrestle the matter in courts of law.
We shall keep you posted.