The Magistrate bribery case adjourned to March 16

Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | Anti-Corruption Court Grade One Magistrate Patricia Amoko Thursday ordered both the Inspectorate of Government, and the Defence lawyers in the Corruption case against a Nakawa Court Grade Two Magistrate Agnes Napiyo, to put their houses in order and come back to Court on March 16, 2018 ready to proceed with hearing of this case.

Magistrate Amoko told IGG’s Micah Luteete and Napiyo’s Lawyer Denins Nyombi that she was tired of defence’s continued excuse that the evidence given to it by the IGG, of a CD showing what happened on the fateful date, has no content on it.

She added that it is the very reason why the matter cannot proceed if the CDs are not sorted out by the two lawyers.

Meanwhile the IGG presented an ammended charge sheet Magistrate Napiyo had to plead to afresh.

This introduced a new charge of abuse of Office indicating that Napiyo committed an arbitrary act in abuse of her authority and office, when she corruptly solicited for a bribe of one million shillings and corruptly received 700,000shs from a one Vicent Egesa in order to reverse a child custody ruling in his favour.

Magistrate Napiyo maintained her plea of Innocence and said that nothing much had been changed in the fresh charge by the IGG, apart from buying time not to bring witnesses to conclude the case that has stalled since April last year, when she was arrested, arraigned in Court and interdicted from office.

However Inspectorate Officer, Luteete informed Court that he has six witnesses that he intends to lead and close his case on the given dates 16th and 19th/ March/2018.

Prosecution further alleges that the accused Magistrate committed the offence between 2nd/ March and 8th/April/2017 at Nakawa Magistrate Court and at Bonjour Supermarket, Total fuel station in Nakawa division.

Magistrate Napiyo has since denied the charges and she is out on bail.