Uganda ex-Chief Justice hired by China’s Supreme Court

Uganda's former Chief Justice Bart Katureebe. [Courtesy]

Chinese Supreme Court has hired Uganda's former Chief Justice Bart Katureebe as a member of its expert committee on the adjudication of international commercial disputes.

Justice Katureebe, who landed the prestigious international job barely six months after his retirement, will sit on the committee for the next four years.

"Bart Magunda Katureebe is appointed as a member of the International Commercial Court Expert Committee of the Supreme People's Court of the People’s Republic of China for a four-year term, from December 8, 2020, to December 8, 2024," his appointment letter read in part.

Katureebe was appointed for his expertise and extensive experiences in the legal field.

"I am profoundly excited about this appointment, for it is a high-level committee that will keep me professionally connected," he said, as quoted in a statement by Uganda’s Judiciary.

The expert committee, established in August 2018 to ensure fair and effective corporation, is part of the China International Commercial Court (CICC) which is an organ of China's Supreme Court.

Uganda's Judiciary, in a statement, notes that the committee is comprised of 31 leaders of international organisations, legal experts, scholars, judges and lawyers selected from different countries.

The committee functions include; mediating international disputes, providing expert opinion on applicable foreign laws and international convections when asked and gives advice on future developments of the CICC.

Yesterday, the Chinese Embassy in Uganda congratulated Justice Katureebe on his new job.

"We warmly congratulate retired Chief Justice Bart Magunda Katureebe on his appointment as a member of International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China," the embassy said in a tweet.

Justice Katureebe retired as Uganda’s Chief Justice on June 20, 2020, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.

He was replaced by his former deputy Chief Justice Alfonse Chigamoy.