Lawyer who snatched Nyombi’s speech acquitted
Mr Karamagi walks out of the dock after his acquittal. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa
KAMPALA- Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court has acquitted a lawyer who was accused of grabbing a written speech from the former Attorney General Peter Nyombi, now deceased.
Mr Nyombi, who was the principal complainant in the case, died on October 8.
Mr Andrew Karamagi was charged with being a nuisance in February, 2014.
In her verdict, Ms Joan Aciro, the presiding magistrate held that the charge sheet where Mr Karamagi was accused of being nuisance, was incurably defective and court agrees that a conviction cannot be passed basing on it.
Ms Aciro held that the common annoyance against Nyombi, as attributed to in evidence from prosecution witnesses was not reflected by in the charges.
“…in the circumstances, I dismiss the case and acquit accused. Prosecution did not prescribe anything to show that it was forbidden to remove a speech from any person on that day. Nothing from prosecution evidence showed that the accused’s non-violent act was unlawful or unauthorized,” Ms Aciro said.
She said that the accused, in his defence testified that Nyombi made some partisan utterances which were uncalled for. To confirm his assertion, he brought in defence witnesses who attested to that.
Ms Aciro contended that prosecution brought no evidence to affirm that the public was annoyed by Mr Karamagi’s actions.
In fact, she said, some witnesses told court that laughter was heard from the crowd and some lawyers went to stop the arrest of the accused. She said the issue inconvenience to the public was never visible.
She added that the fact that Nyombi remained at the podium after his written speech was snatched and the event proceeded to conclusion, is a sign that the accused never disrupted the ceremony.
Prosecution contended that on January 31, 2014 at the High Court in Kampala, Mr Karamagi, grabbed a written speech from Nyombi at the New Law Year celebrations, thereby causing annoyance to the then government’s chief legal adviser.
Speaking to Daily Monitor after the court session defence lawyer, Mr Isaac Ssemakadde tasked the Directorate of Public Prosecutions to always be mindful when sanctioning charges.
He said he grateful that court has appreciated that there was clear abuse of a law that is intended to protect the public, for the sake of pleasing the powers of the highest legal personalities in the country.
