[2020] UGCA 69

[2020] UGCA 69

The Court of Appeal found that the trial judge erred by relying on the project manager's final certificate, which was neither tendered nor agreed upon by the parties, and failed to consider the revised contract sum and the agreed facts in the joint scheduling memorandum. The appellant was entitled to the unpaid...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[2020] UGCA 69
Parties
Appellant: Alpha Gama Engineering Enterprises Ltd; Respondent: Attorney General
Court
Court of Appeal of Uganda
Jurisdiction
Uganda
Case Number
Civil Appeal No. 54 of 2014
Procedural Posture
Civil Appeal / Judgment
Outcome
appeal_partially_allowed
Judges
Egonda-Ntende, JA, Kibeedi, JA, Barishaki, JA
Legal Topics
Government Contracts, Vat Liability, Special Damages, Interest Awards
Source Language
en
Commercial and Corporate Civil Procedure Government Contracts Vat Liability Special Damages Interest Awards

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Parties

Alpha Gama Engineering Enterprises Ltd

Appellant

Attorney General

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Civil Appeal / Judgment

  1. 1 Whether the appellant is entitled to a refund of Ug.shs.72,213,230/= paid as VAT penalty to Uganda Revenue Authority due to delayed VAT payments by the respondent.
  2. 2 Whether the appellant is entitled to the unpaid balance on the revised contract sum, including the value of variations executed under the contract.
  3. 3 Whether the trial judge erred in awarding special damages of Ug.shs.17,674,628/= instead of the full unpaid contract sum and variations.

Ratio Decidendi

The Court of Appeal found that the trial judge erred by relying on the project manager's final certificate, which was neither tendered nor agreed upon by the parties, and failed to consider the revised contract sum and the agreed facts in the joint scheduling memorandum. The appellant was entitled to the unpaid balance of Ug.shs.224,838,247/= on the revised contract price, as the respondent did not provide evidence of full payment. The claim for refund of the VAT penalty was rejected due to insufficient evidence linking the penalty specifically to the contract in dispute. The interest rate on special damages was increased to 18% per annum from the date of filing the suit, reflecting...

Court Disposition

appeal_partially_allowed

Orders

  • Special damages of Ug.shs.224,838,247/= (VAT inclusive) awarded to the appellant as unpaid balance on the revised contract price.
  • Interest on special damages at 18% per annum from date of filing suit until payment in full.