The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The International Crimes Division of the High Court has deferred its ruling on the bail application lodged by Thomas Kwoyelo to March 26th.
The decision was communicated on Wednesday by Justice Jane Persis Kiggundu, the chairperson of the four panel of judges presiding over the first domestic war crimes trial of the former Lord’s Resistance Army –LRA commander.
Justice Kiggundu says the ruling will be delivered from the seat of the International Crimes Division of the High Court in Kampala. She said Court’s position on the bail application wasn’t ready.
Justice Kiggundu heard the bail application as a single judge on behalf of the Trial Chamber on Monday last week. The other judges are Michael Elubu, Duncan Gaswagga and Stephen Mubiru.
Kwoyelo presented four sureties including Kilak South Member of Parliament Gilbert Olanya alongside his younger sister Margaret Auma, nephew Bosco Omony and Alfred Olanya Lubel – a retired teacher who also served as a Parish chief.
MP Gilbert Olanya, the Kilak South Member of Parliament offered to provide him safe custody at his home when granted bail. He said through an affidavit read by Kwoyelo’s lawyer Charles Dalton Opwonya that he will ensure that Kwoyelo does not miss court appointment.
He asked court to grant him bail to allow him enjoy temporary freedom at home after 10 years on incarceration in Luzira Maximum Prison.
In his affidavit, Kwoyelo said he has never had any freedom since he was kidnapped by the Lord’s Resistance Army while in Primary three in 1988.
Kwoyelo is standing trial for 93 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and sexual crimes he is accused of committing in the course of the Lord’s Resistance Army conflict in Northern Uganda.
So far, two out of the three witnesses who have testified in the trial testified under protective measures while Fabulous Okumu Alya, an international Criminal Justice law don at Nkumba University testified as an expert witness.
He told Court contextual issues in the run to the conflict and those during and after the war.
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