King Mumbere faces fresh terrorism charges

Kampala- Several lawyers have condemned the police’s rearrest of Rwenzururu King Wesley Mumbere, moments after the Jinja High Court had released him on bail on Friday evening.

But the police was quick to defend the rearrest on grounds that the king faces fresh charges of terrorism that he allegedly committed before the bloody clashes at his palace on November 26 and 27 last year. The clashes left at least 100 people dead.

But speaking in a telephone interview yesterday, Fredrick Ssempebwa, a law professor warned that king Mumbere’s re-arrest is not an isolated incident but indicative of a growing trend in the country.

He added that the new trend of rearrests invokes ugly memories of the Milton Obote’s regime.

Mumbere’s rearrest by armed personnel under the pretext of preferring new charges against him, according to Prof Ssempebwa, was done in bad faith by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to frustrate the king’s release on bail.

“The DPP should have brought all the charges against the omusinga (king) at once. I am sure they know all the facts, but this question of bringing some and upon releasing him on bail, the king is rearrested on grounds that he has pending fresh charges. This shows bad faith on their part,” Prof Ssempebwa said.

“These scenarios happened during Obote’s regime and it’s now a turnaround,” he added.

Human Rights lawyer Nicholas Opiyo echoed Prof Ssempebwa’s concerns, saying the rising trend of rearresting suspects at court premises is a sign that the security personnel no longer respect court decisions and orders.

Mr Opiyo’s clients, Mr Dan Ola Odiya, the UPC party political mobiliser, was also rearrested at Gulu High Court premises last Thursday after court freed him. He also faces terrorism charges.

Weighing in on the same condemnation, Mr Caleb Alaka, the lead lawyer of the omusinga, said he will on Monday register a formal complaint of how the State frustrated and interfered with the lawful release of his client.

Mr Alaka went on to castigate the office of the DPP for alleged abuse of office, saying if the State had fresh charges against the king, they would have let him reach his home and then summon him to police, but not grabbing him as he left the court upon being granted bail.

He said as the king’s lawyers, they are determined to fight the injustice before the courts of law.

“There was no need for the police to rearrest the king in the manner they did. If indeed they had fresh charges against him, they would have done it in a good faith by allowing him go to his home and later summon him to the police station.”

“As lawyers, we are determined to see that he gets bail and we shall not do this by use of the gun but by the law before court,” Mr Alaka added
He said the latest information about the omusinga was that the State has lined up about 10 fresh charges against him.

Former shadow Attorney General Abdu Katuntu, while appearing on a local radio talk show yesterday, said the rearrest of suspects at court has become a comedy where the State grabs them and the following day, they come up with new charges.

He said the charges are being used as holding charges to inconvenience people that the State does not like before warning that this trend is a threat to the rule of law.

The president of the Uganda Law Society, Mr Francis Gimara, said he would consult Chief Justice Bart Katureebe about the increasing trend of rearresting suspects at court premises before he comes up with concrete statement on Mumbere’s rearrest.

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On Friday evening, King Mumbere had his freedom cut short after heavily armed police rearrested him and drove him to the heavily guarded nearby Nalufenya Police Station.

The king had earlier on Friday been released on a non-cash bail of Shs100m by Jinja High Court resident judge Eva Luswata.

Police speak out

Explaining the fresh terrorism charges against the omusinga, Mr Andrew Felix Kaweesi, the police spokesperson, claimed Mumbere had earlier on committed similar terrorism offences between March and April of last year.

“It is wrong to say [Mr] Mumbere was rearrested. That would mean police re-arrested him on the same charges based on the same evidence. Mumbere is facing terrorism and murder charges he committed before the November clashes,” Mr Kaweesi said. He said Mumbere and Odiya are being held at Nalufenya Police Station, near Jinja Town.

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