Socialite Charles Olim, alias Sipapa’s lawyers have abandoned him over his failure to pay their legal fees.
Sipapa together with his wife Nakiyimba Shamirah and their co-accused, were arrested earlier this month before being produced at Makindye Chief Magistrate Court and charged with the aggravated robbery of Shs1.6 billion at the home of a South Sudanese national in Bunga.
The group has been represented by the lawyers of Elgon Advocates led by Robert Rutaro.
However, in a letter dated September 26, copied to the Makindye Chief Magistrates Court, the Resident State Attorney for Makindye and the officer in charge of Luzira Upper Prisons, the law firm has abandoned Sipapa.
“To our disappointment, you have not paid even a single coin to the firm as legal fees. The nature of your case is grave and, given the nature of the evidence involved, your case requires a high level of research and sophisticated technical expertise to have strong defences as counsel would have to spend sleepless nights reading the law in and out in order to ably represent you.
The lawyers say in the letter to Sipapa, “That kind of preparedness must be facilitated and remunerated,” the lawyers say in the letter in part.
The lawyers say they have not been left with any other option apart from withdrawing their legal services to Sipapa.
“Please feel free to share our address with your next lawyers to contact us for your files.”