UDC Pays BDP Up
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday April 12, 2021 18:24
On Friday the sheriffs were ready to auction the petitioners’ attached belongings.
The 2019 General Election petitioners include the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) president, Duma Boko, and 13 others. The Monitor has learnt that the UDC managed to pay P567,000 in legal costs for their appeals heard by the Court of Appeal and they are only left with a debt of P50,000 for the sheriff, which includes money for storage amongst others.
While this might give the candidates and the petitioners a breather, trouble is still brewing for the UDC. The Monitor has learnt that the coalition was yet to be served with costs for the opposition bloc’s High Court cases.
“UDC has to keep on raising money because the legal cost for High Court is going to be higher than the one for Court of Appeal.
The sheriff will go and knock at their door again in a few months.
I think the best solution for them is to negotiate with the sheriff while on time on how they would keep on paying the money,” a source stated. BDP attorney, Basimane Bogopa confirmed that the UDC has managed to pay part of the money they owed. “The auction could not take place because they paid part of the money. They have negotiated with us to pay the balance, which is the money owed to the sheriff by the end of April. This is the legal cost for Court of Appeal only, it does not include the High Court one,” Bogopa told The Monitor on Saturday.
Spokesperson for the UDC , Moeti Mohwasa declined to comment.
The Monitor has learnt that the total cost will be known once the Registrar of High Court had finalised assessment on the cost and whether they were high or not for the High Court. The party stated that it will take it from there and inform its members on the way forward.