By Elizabeth Ankunda
12th Aug 2022
Lawyer Male Mabirizi has petitioned the International Crimes Division-ICD of the High Court seeking to halt the hearing of the case in which Kawempe North Member of Parliament Muhammad Ssegirinya and his Makindye West counterpart Allan Ssewanyana are accused of murder and terrorism-related charges.
Mabirizi wants the pretrial hearing halted until the determination of his constitutional petition challenging the legality of the charges against the legislators and five others.
The others are Jackson Kanyike, John Mugerwa, Bull Wamala, Mike Sserwadda, and Jude Muwonge.
On November 21, 2021, the Masaka Chief Magistrate’s court committed the group to face trial in the High Court on a string of charges including murder, attempted murder, aiding, and abetting terrorism.
The charges stem from their alleged involvement in the greater Masaka machete killings which occurred between March and June 2021, and claimed more than 20 people and left scores injured.
But before they were committed for trial, the High Court had on September 21st, 2021, granted the MPs bail of Shillings 20 million on terrorism-related charges before the state slapped them with an additional charge of murdering Joseph Bwanika eight days later.
Mabirizi petitioned the Constitutional Court, arguing that the additional charges brought on a different criminal file amount to political persecution, which is unjustifiable in a free and democratic society and therefore unconstitutional.
He said that the additional charges deprived Ssewanyana and Ssegirinya of 20 million Shillings, which should not have been the case had the state presented an amended charge sheet.
Mabirizi is still at Luzira Maximum Upper-security prison since February 22nd, 2022 serving a jail term of 18 months for contempt of Court.
Next:
Previous:
