Lawyer Ayena jailed for failing to pay Ugx 146m debt

Lira, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Crispus Ayena Odongo, former Oyam North County Member of Parliament in Oyam district has been jailed over failure to pay a total of shillings 146 million debts.

Ayena, the lead defense lead counsel to Dominic Ongwen, former Lords Resistant Army rebel commander currently undergoing trial at the Hague based International Criminal Court.

He was arrested on Thursday from Kampala  by the Court Bailifs from Spearlink Bailifs and Auctioneers on the arrest warrant issued by the Lira High Court.

Trouble for Ayena stemmed from an electoral petition which he had filed against Col (RTD) Charles Okello Engola, the State Minister for Defense and General Duties.

Ayena contested to retained his then position but lost to Engola whom he later dragged to Lira High Court challenging Okello’s academic qualification .

Lira High Court subsequently overturned Okello’s  election on ground that he did not posses the requisite academic qualification,  a decision that was again quashed by the Court of Appeal.

Okello  was later awarded about 146 million shillings cost.

On Friday evening, he was committed  to Lira Cenral Government Prison by the Lira High Court Assistant Registrar, Jenevieve Natukunda.

While delivering her ruling, Natukunda ordered that Ayena should pay shillings seventy three million shillings to secure his release but he failed to raise the required fund.

Col Engola told journalists that attempt to negotiate with Ayena proved futile for long  since he has been in hiding.

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