The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Rubaga Magistrates court has issued an order directing the Uganda Prisons Services to produce the founder of Revival Christian Church Pastor Augustine Yiga.
Yiga was arrested and remanded last week for allegedly doing an act likely to spread coronavirus.
Yiga was on Monday supposed to be brought to court for the ruling on his bail application.
Grade one Magistrate Timothy Lumunye issued the order for Yiga’s production after the prisons officers failed to bring him in court without a Justification.
This is according to Yiga’s lawyer Wilberforce Kayiwa who attended the session.
However, when we contacted the Spokesperson of the Uganda Prisons Services, Frank Baine said that Prisons will not bring any accused person to court unless they are sure that the person is not returning to their custody for fear of contracting coronavirus and later spread it on to their colleagues.
Last month, the Chief Justice Bart Katureebe suspended court sessions. He, however, said that cases involving suspects in jail can be heard via video conferencing.
However, Yiga was remanded to Kitalya government prison which lacks video conferencing facilities.
Baine advised that Yiga’s lawyers can finalize with the court process for them to be sure that he will not go back to Kitalya.
The prosecution alleges that on March 27th 2020 while at his church Revival Christian in Kawaala in Kampala and before several Television stations, Yiga uttered words to mean that there is no coronavirus in Uganda and Africa at large well knowing that such words are likely to spread the infection of the disease which is dangerous to life.
But he pleaded not guilty and asked the court to grant him bail on grounds that it was his constitutional right for bail adding that he was diabetic.
The prisons officers have now been directed to produce him in court on April 16th, 2020.
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