Panamera bar ‘crime scene’ was tampered with – witness

The investigating officer in the case in  which city rally driver Desh Kananura is accused of assaulting his employee Badru Kateregga leading to his death, has told the High Court that the “crime scene” was tampered with.

Assistant Superintendent of Police, Grace Davis Pande said this as hearing of the murder case against five people including Andrew Kananura alias Desh resumed on Tuesday at the High Court in Kampala.

Desh together with his brother Raymond Kananura and security guards Cyrus Maganda, Samuel Muzulewa and Jacob Onyango are suspects in a case in which they are accused of murdering Kateregga over a tip of sh30,000 he got from a customer.

Pande, the seventh prosecution witness, told presiding Judge Joseph Murangira that on September 30, 2012 he visited the alleged scene of crime at Panamera bar in Naguri-Kampala, and found Desh plus Raymond who he said refused to reveal all that had transpired, apart from saying there was a fight.

Pande was then forced to move behind one of the bars, with other police officers, where they said they discovered traces of blood near piled empty crates of beer that someone had tried to wash away with water.

Pande testified that as they continued to move behind the second bar,  that shares a boundary with Kololo S.S football field, they observed some marks of a scuffle on the ground, as well as visible foot marks of someone who had crossed over from the football field and joined the struggle.

Pande said that these noticeable marks appeared like those left by someone who was rolling on the ground during the scuffle.

He added that eye witnesses later revealed to police that the noticeable foot prints were for a one Muzolewa, a night watch man at the football field who crossed over to Panamera premises, upon hearing shouts that they had arrested a thief and participated in the assault.

Panda said that they also discovered a wallet, a stick that was used in the assault, and further proceeded to take a dead body of the person who was lying in one of the unfinished rooms at Panamera bar premises – to Kira road police station.

In January 2013, Kananura was charged with murder together with his brother Kananura, security guard Muzolewa, Maganda and Onyango.

According to prosecution, the accused on September 30, 2012, allegedly tortured Katerega to death after they found him with sh30,000 that exceeded the amount allowed to be held by any worker. Kateregga was a bar attendant at Panamera bar and Restaurant, located in the city suburb of Naguru.

On March 15, 2016, Justice Wilson Masalu-Musene withdrew from the case citing a local tabloid report that accused him of having vested interest in the matter, a reason it had dragged on since 2013.

This prompted him to direct that the file be allocated to another judge for purposes of justice.

Desh and his co-accused are currently out on bail.

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editor@independent.co.ug