The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Lwemiyaga county Member of Parliament, Theodore Ssekikubo has asked the Masaka Chief Magistrate’s court to dismiss his case of inciting violence. This is after the state prosecutor, Sheba Byakutaga asked Masaka Chief Magistrate Charles Yitesi for more time to present witnesses and Ssekikubo’s co-accused.
Sheba told the court that the witnesses had failed to show up in court for trial. She also said the state failed to present Ssekikubo’s co-accused persons and asked for more time to address these issues. However, Ssekikubo’s lawyer, Alexander Lure couldn’t have any of this.
He asked court to dismiss the case which he says was erroneously reinstated against Ssekikubo in January 2020, after being dismissed by the court in 2010 due to lack of evidence.
“This is a matter of 2010 that was resurrected in 2020, for political witch hunt. They brought the same charge sheet as if they are accusing him for the first time, in the circumstances, we pray that this matter is dismissed. The same issue has always been mentioned by the state but they have failed to amend the charge sheet, if the state is interested in the matter, they would have addressed those anomalies before resurrecting the charges,” he argued.
Yitesi wondered why the state hasn’t arrested and produced Ssekikubo’s co-accused in court which has delayed the trial. “You have all that it takes to produce the other accused persons. But I only see one person in court yet the charge sheet has other persons. If the state can’t produce them, let them eliminate and amend the charge sheet so that the case can be heard and disposed off because ligation of any case has to be concluded,” he said.
He adjourned the matter to December 10th, 2020 to enable the prosecution to study the file so that they can proceed with the case. Ssekikubo wondered why the state has interest in matters that happened in the NRM party primary elections saying that such charges are always brought up against him to discourage him from fighting for people’s rights.
He said it’s unfortunate that people with selfish interests are using courts of law to fight him, arguing that whenever he raises matters of public importance, they bring back fictitious charges against him.
According to court records, Ssekikubo committed the offence in August 2010 during the Sembabule district NRM party primary elections when he obstructed a police officer on duty, destroyed election materials and incited people to disrupt the polling exercise at Lwemiyaga playground.
******
URN
