Uganda is part of the 194-member countries of the International Criminal Police Organisation that facilitates global Police cooperation and crime control.
All new applicants intending to enroll as court bailiffs will be subject to screening from International Police(Interpol).
Uganda is part of the 194-member countries of the International Criminal Police Organisation that facilitates global Police cooperation and crime control.
Court Bailiffs are certified enforcement officers who seize for sale any movable or immovable property when implementing the court order. They also conduct evictions under Court order
The requirement is part of the 17 stringent rules contained in a notice, pinned at the notice board of Main High Court Building in Kampala.
The notice is titled ‘Requirements for new applicants- Bailiffs 2020’.It outlines what must be adhered to, before being recognised as a duly registered bailiff.
All new applicants must have a certificate of good conduct from Interpol Uganda. Prior, applicants only had to obtain an endorsement letter from the District Police Commander.
It is also mandatory for an applicant to get an endorsement from the Resident District Commissioner.
The umbrella body Uganda Court Bailiffs Association(UCBA) must give its seal of approval in the form of a letter of no objection.
All applicants must pay a sh45,000 licence fee and a sh460,000 subscription fee. An applicant is also required to show proof of responsible citizenship by presenting a tax identification number(TIN).
Subsequently, the Court Chief Registrar(CR) conducts a validation exercise, to ascertain whether the applicant is of good repute and sound financial standing.
The applicant must also prove ownership of adequate facilities for the safe storage of goods.
The CR also ascertains whether the applicant is not an undischarged bankrupt or the subject of any bankruptcy proceedings.
The applicant is subject to a background check to ascertain whether they have no criminal past premised on dishonesty.
Explanation
On Tuesday, UCBA treasurer Stephen Owora explained to New Vision that the Interpol endorsement is for new entrants, starting this year.
“For the new ones(entrants), a certificate of good conduct must be issued,” said Owora.
He disclosed that the association has 500 fully-subscribed members. He said 250 have so far submitted documentation for renewal, which ends in April.
The treasurer emphasised that initially, state security vetted the renewal applications annually. However, he said in the event of errant behaviour, UCBA can trigger a blacklist.