Patrick Bitature failed again in court when he tried to lower the Shs 194 million payment to Vantage Mezzanine Fund II Partnership. Judge Steven Mubiru decided the cash amount granted to the South African venture capital company was actually very small. Vantage had asked the court to review the October 17, 2024, decision because they felt cheated. The deputy court official had given them just Shs 104 million plus Shs 90 million for lawyer fees.
The South African firm claimed these numbers fell far below fair payment rules for attorneys. They wanted the court to cancel this decision completely. Bitature, along with his wife Carol and several businesses they run—Simba Properties, Simba Telecom, Elgon Terrace Hotel, and Linda Properties—fought back with their appeal, saying the money was far higher than it should be.
Judge Mubiru discovered the deputy registrar made a big mistake. She claimed she didn't know the lawsuit value of $26.486 million (about Shs 95 billion). This error hurt Vantage badly. The judge wrote that she wrongly called all parts of the case "unascertainable" in value. Had she looked carefully at the paperwork, she would have seen the exact value right there.
The court ordered the deputy registrar to fix her mistake and increase the bill. This must reflect both how much cash was involved and how complicated the case truly was. The judge threw out Bitature's claim that Shs 194 million was excessive. This marks the third time courts have sided against Bitature, who earlier refused to repay a $10 million loan from Vantage.
He had claimed Vantage couldn't legally offer loans in Uganda since they weren't registered there. Back in June 2021, the court found a real loan agreement existed but told both sides to use arbitration as their contract required. Vantage wants Bitature to pay over $26.486 million in total. After winning three High Court cases, Vantage asked for their legal costs to be covered but didn't like the small amount awarded, leading to this latest appeal they just won.
The South African firm claimed these numbers fell far below fair payment rules for attorneys. They wanted the court to cancel this decision completely. Bitature, along with his wife Carol and several businesses they run—Simba Properties, Simba Telecom, Elgon Terrace Hotel, and Linda Properties—fought back with their appeal, saying the money was far higher than it should be.
Judge Mubiru discovered the deputy registrar made a big mistake. She claimed she didn't know the lawsuit value of $26.486 million (about Shs 95 billion). This error hurt Vantage badly. The judge wrote that she wrongly called all parts of the case "unascertainable" in value. Had she looked carefully at the paperwork, she would have seen the exact value right there.
The court ordered the deputy registrar to fix her mistake and increase the bill. This must reflect both how much cash was involved and how complicated the case truly was. The judge threw out Bitature's claim that Shs 194 million was excessive. This marks the third time courts have sided against Bitature, who earlier refused to repay a $10 million loan from Vantage.
He had claimed Vantage couldn't legally offer loans in Uganda since they weren't registered there. Back in June 2021, the court found a real loan agreement existed but told both sides to use arbitration as their contract required. Vantage wants Bitature to pay over $26.486 million in total. After winning three High Court cases, Vantage asked for their legal costs to be covered but didn't like the small amount awarded, leading to this latest appeal they just won.
