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Court to rule Nov 7 on Kaweesi murder suspects bail application

By Joseph Lubandi

Posted on October 31, 2017

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Some of the Kaweesi murder suspects in court recently.

Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | Nakawa Court Grade One magistrate Noah Sajjabi will on November 07, 2017 deliver his ruling on whether to release on bail nine suspects are charged with the murder of former AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi and two others.

The nine suspects through their lawyer Ladislous Rwakafuuzi Tuesday morning requested court to release them on bail as they have spent six months on remand without being committed to a High Court for trial.

Rwakafuuzi informed court that even though there is an on-going strike of state prosecutors, the DPP ‘s office, has not put its on halt, because last week , the DPP managed to commit eight out of the 22 suspects to High Court for trial.

Even though the DPP was not been represented in court due to the prosecutors’ industrial action over low pay, Rwakafuuzi has explained that the actions of the DPP clearly show that he does not have evidence against the remaining 14. He said this shows their is no evidence linking them to the murder of Kaweesi, his driver Kenneth Erau and driver Godfrey Wambewa and thus should be released on bail.

However magistrate Sajjabi has informed the suspects that he needs a one week’s time to scrutinise and study the documents of their 18 surities so that he can ably balance their right to mandatory bail by making an informed decision.

The law requires that if an accused person charged with a capital offense completes 180 days on remand without being committed for trial , he or she is entittled to a mandatory release on bail.

However, magistrate Sajjabi has stopped five out of the 14 accused, including a woman Sauda Ayub, from applying for bail on grounds that they have not clocked the mandatory period of six months on remand having been charged on May 11, 2017.

Now all the suspects have been remanded back to Luzira prison until the November 07, 2017.

The post Court to rule Nov 7 on Kaweesi murder suspects bail application appeared first on The Independent Uganda:.

Source: Independent