By Frank Kamuntu
The Commissioner Land Registration, Mugaino Baker, has moved fast to implement a court ruling that ordered DFCU Bank Limited to vacate properties it illegally inherited following a dubious takeover of Crane Bank, a now-defunct commercial formerly owned by businessman Sudhir Ruparelia. With this order, DFCU Bank is mandated to return 48 properties to Meera Investments Limited, another company owned by Ruparelia.
Mugaino has officially written to the Managing Director of DFCU Bank Limited informing them of the cancellation of leasehold titles as ordered by the court. The letter titled ‘Implementation of Decree in Civil Suit No. 948 of 2017; Meera Investments Limited Vs. DFCU Bank Limited & Commissioner Land Registration’ has already been received by the bank.
It reads: “You will recall that judgment in the above-captioned suit was entered in the favour of the Plaintiff, Meera Investments Limited, against DFCU Bank Limited and the Office of the Commissioner Land Registration. Orders were made directing the office to rectify the register in the terms set out in the decree including cancellation of the leasehold certificates of title.”
“In view of the self-executing nature of the orders of the Court and in order to avert possible contempt proceedings, this office proceeded and implemented the decree of the court to the extent of the orders made for its implementation, by rectifying the register and cancelling the leases as encumbrances on the Mailo and Freehold certificates of title registered in the names Meera Investments Limited and further by cancelling all the entries on the register and white pages of DFCU Bank Limited as proprietor of the 48 leasehold properties.
“The purpose hereof is therefore to request that, since the leasehold titles have been cancelled thereby rendering the 48 duplicate certificates of the title in your possession legally inconsequential, the same should be returned to this office to avoid any possible misuse thereof. Kindly do so within seven days from the date of receipt of this letter.
“By Copy of this letter, Magna Advocates, learned counsel for Meera Investments Limited, M/S KATS Advocates, learned counsel for DFCU Bank Limited and the Registrar of the High Court, Land Division are hereby notified of the action so far taken by the office in compliance with the judgment and decree of the court,” Mugaino wrote in the letter.
