The defence team representing Hajj Obeid Lutale has questioned Medadi Elisa Ssentanda, the second prosecution witness in the treason case involving retired Colonel Dr. Kizza Besigye and others, over his failure to transcribe four hours of recordings from a fourth meeting held in Athens, Greece, despite allegedly being paid to undertake the assignment.
During cross-examination, defence lawyer Farouk Kizito Kamulegeya challenged Ssentanda to explain why the recordings had not been transcribed, yet he had previously testified that some recordings were similar and did not require separate transcription.
The defence argued that the witness’s earlier testimony raised questions about his handling of the recordings and the reasons for leaving out the four hours in question.
Prosecutor Richard Birivumbuka asked court to direct the defence to limit its line of questioning. However, the presiding judge, Justice Emmanuel Baguma, intervened, observing that the witness had received and listened to the audio files before transcribing them and should therefore respond to the questions put to him.
The cross-examination proceeded as the prosecution and defence continued to disagree over the handling and transcription of the disputed recordings.
The defence also raised concerns about discrepancies in the creation dates and contents of flash disks presented before court.
According to the defence, the two flash disks were different, despite some records indicating a creation date of September 2, 2025. One of the disks presented in court, however, reportedly showed July 15, 2026.
Ssentanda maintained that the files were created on September 2, 2025, despite the discrepancies raised by the defence.
Earlier in the proceedings, a disagreement emerged over time management after the prosecution reportedly complained that Justice Baguma had arrived 40 minutes late, yet the hearing was scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m.
The trial continues as the defence scrutinises the prosecution witness’s handling of the audio recordings and the digital evidence presented in court.
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