RWAGASANA v BANKI YA KIGALI (BK LTD)

RWAGASANA v BANKI YA KIGALI (BK LTD)

Both Rwagasana and Mukakimenyi are jointly liable for the principal debt and interest to BK Ltd as all relevant agreements were signed by both parties. BK Ltd acted within its rights to charge interest and fees as stipulated in the contracts, including for the performance guarantee paid on Rwagasana's behalf....

Source-derived case information.

Citation
RCOMAA 0056/15/SC-RCOMAA 00025/2017/SC-RCOM 0003/17/CSRCOM 00004/2017/SC
Parties
Applicant: Rwagasana Thomas; Applicant: Mukakimenyi Marie Rosine; Respondent: Banki ya Kigali (BK Ltd)
Court
Supreme Court
Jurisdiction
Rwanda
Judgment Date
26 January 2018
Case Number
RCOMAA 0056/15/SC-RCOMAA 00025/2017/SC-RCOM 0003/17/CSRCOM 00004/2017/SC
Procedural Posture
Commercial Appeal / Supreme Court Final Judgment
Outcome
Appeal dismissed; partial cross-appeal allowed; lower court judgment affirmed.
Legal Topics
Loan Agreements, Performance Guarantees, Spousal Liability for Debt, Interest Calculation, Abusive Contract Clauses, Expert Fees, Attorney Fees, Judicial Costs
Source Language
rw
Contract Law Banking Law Family Law Civil Procedure Loan Agreements Performance Guarantees Spousal Liability for Debt Interest Calculation +4 more

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Parties

Rwagasana Thomas

Applicant

Mukakimenyi Marie Rosine

Applicant

Banki ya Kigali (BK Ltd)

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Commercial Appeal / Supreme Court Final Judgment

  1. 1 Whether Rwagasana and spouse are jointly liable for the outstanding loan and interest to BK Ltd
  2. 2 Whether BK Ltd was entitled to charge interest and fees as per the agreements
  3. 3 Whether the performance guarantee amount and interest are recoverable from Rwagasana

Ratio Decidendi

Both Rwagasana and Mukakimenyi are jointly liable for the principal debt and interest to BK Ltd as all relevant agreements were signed by both parties. BK Ltd acted within its rights to charge interest and fees as stipulated in the contracts, including for the performance guarantee paid on Rwagasana's behalf. However, judicial costs and attorney fees must be set by the court's discretion and not solely by contractual percentage. The expert fee is recoverable by BK Ltd as the expert performed work at the applicants' request. The applicants' claims for damages and to avoid liability are rejected.

Court Disposition

Appeal dismissed; partial cross-appeal allowed; lower court judgment affirmed.

Orders

  • Rwagasana Thomas and Mukakimenyi Marie Rosine to jointly pay BK Ltd 881,697,134 Frw principal and 786,948,623 Frw interest (total 1,668,645,757 Frw)
  • Applicants to pay BK Ltd 1,000,000 Frw for attorney fees and judicial costs at this level