PACE Advocates: A Bobi And Rubongoya Money Swindling Conduit Unmasked

In a disquieting revelation, PACE Advocates, a law firm linked to prominent leaders of the National Unity Platform (NUP), has been exposed as a conduit for siphoning enormous sums earmarked for party activities.

High-ranking officials, including David Rubongoya, NUP’s Secretary General, and the party’s figurehead Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known by his musical stage name Bobi Wine, allegedly orchestrated a scheme that has seen millions in funds vanish into thin air, leaving behind a web of deception and exploitation.

Despite the short stint of the late Anthony Wameli, since NUP’s inception, PACE Advocates has curiously emerged as the primary representation for NUP prisoners in courts of law, despite having no substantial record in handling serious legal cases.

Instead of involving seasoned and qualified attorneys, the firm relied on the unproven capabilities of individuals like George Musisi, whose practicing license is still under scrutiny. Consequently, not a single NUP prisoner has benefitted from Musisi’s legal prowess, raising serious questions about the firm’s legitimacy and ethics.

Vast Earnings

With the party purportedly receiving vast contributions from various sources, including Shs10M at the beginning of the 11^th Parliament from the 57 party MPs and Shs22 billion from the government’s Inter-Party Dialogue (IPOD), an investigation raises a pressing question: where has this money gone?

Substantial funds from the Diaspora, continuous fundraising drives, and other financial contributions appear to have simply evaporated. Perplexing the issue is the matter of ownership of PACE Advocates, a firm that has now become synonymous with questionable financial maneuvers.

Conduit Role

David Rubongoya’s ownership of PACE Advocates has surfaced as a critical concern, especially as it has reportedly acted as a vehicle to channel funds from Parliament, and IPOD through the Electoral Commission under the guise of legal representation for prisoners. Allegedly, Rubongoya and Kyagulanyi utilized this façade to pocket over Shs5 billion. Meanwhile, Musisi and NUP treasurer Benjamin Katana are suspected of masquerading as advocates, misleading the party’s grassroots members into thinking they were receiving genuine legal support.

This situation has rendered most experienced lawyers both within NUP and outside the party powerless, as PACE Advocates deployed paralegals instead, effectively freezing out properly trained attorneys and diverting precious resources under the pretense of providing legal aid to NUP prisoners.

The consequences of such tactics extend beyond mere financial misappropriation; they threaten the integrity of the entire party’s operations.

Inflated Kavule Land Price

Moreover, a major concern arises from the 2022 land purchase to house NUP’s headquarters.

A project involved Bobi Wine and Fred Nyanzi who are biological brothers raised eyebrows due to discrepancies in the purchase agreement.

The Auditor General reported that the deal, valued at Shs1.5 billion, involved inflated figures that peaked at Shs2.9 billion, presenting evident fraud.

The land purchasing agreement was signed by Bobi Wine, David Lewis Rubongoya, Benjamin Katana, and was witnessed by both Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, and Joel Ssenyonyi. However, the sharing of the proceeds from the particular land deal caused a sharp conflict between Nyanzi and Rubongoya, exposing fractures within the party’s leadership.

Other Schemes

Additional dirty schemes for extorting funds seem arose from the NUP MP candidate selection process, which was given to the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi. In this, Ssenyonyi targeted desperate incumbent MPs who wished to retain their seats, funneling illicit donations which were reportedly shared among Bobi Wine and other top NUP officials. The revelation highlights a troubling trend of systemic exploitation at various levels within the party.

The NUP Diaspora project represents another troubling aspect, with funds intended for grass-roots support seemingly redirected for the personal benefit of Bobi Wine and Rubongoya. Available information suggests that when Fred Nyanzi attempted to bypass this lucrative scheme, he faced severe repercussions, further illustrating the cutthroat nature of internal power dynamics within NUP.

As the curtain slowly lifts on PACE Advocates and its alleged financial improprieties, it remains to be seen how NUP leaders will respond to growing public scrutiny. The question looms large: Can accountability be achieved within a party that professes to champion the rights of the oppressed while simultaneously engaging in acts of exploitation and deceit?