October 15, 2023
ARUA, Uganda | The corridors of justice in Arua District witnessed a significant development as the honorable Member of Parliament for Vurra County, Adriko Yovan, was committed to civil prison for a period of six months. The judgment, delivered by the Arua High Court Deputy Registrar, Leo Karungi, comes in the wake of Adriko’s failure to repay a loan totaling shs 55.6 million that he had borrowed in 2021 from Jubilee Finance Limited.
The arrest of the MP was prompted by an arrest warrant issued against him after he repeatedly failed to appear in court to explain the reasons for his inability to settle his outstanding debt. According to Richard Bundu of Bundu and Co. Advocates, the legal representation for Jubilee Finance Limited, Adriko initially borrowed shs 52.7 million at an interest rate of 15%, with a one-month repayment period. Regrettably, he failed to fulfill his end of the agreement.
The situation escalated over the course of a year as Adriko remained evasive and non-committal. Mr. Bundu expressed, “He had become evasive; I would call him, and then he tells me he is in Kampala yet he’s in Arua or he says he is in Congo yet he is in Kampala. That forced us to file a case against him, and soon after, summons were issued by the court, which he was served in person and through email. Still, he continued to remain non-committed, leading the court to enter a judgment against him.”
It wasn’t until Adriko became aware of the default judgment entered on August 18, 2022, decreeing that he must repay Jubilee Finance Limited, that he made two installments, reducing his debt to shs 48,143,900.
In a twist of events on Thursday, October 12, 2023, the MP was lured into a trap by the court bailiff, Paul Mawa of Vitality Associates, who claimed to have money for a land transaction at Slumberland Hotel. He was subsequently arrested.
