Mbabazi lawyers seek court order for police to produce Aine's body

Kampala.

The four law firms retained to represent Mr Mbabazi on Tuesday petitioned Nakawa High Court for grant of habeas corpus, an order compelling police to produce in court a suspect in their custody. The firms are Muwema and Company Advocates, Akampurira and Partners, Mugisha and Company Advocates, and Twinobusingye Severino and Company Advocates.

The lawyers claim in the application that “On or about December 14 at 6am, the applicant was arrested at Kyanja, Kampala, by a group of police officers travelling in a police patrol vehicle and white van.”

The court process kicks off amid a running public notice with a Sh20m reward on Christopher Aine’s head for any member of the public who shares information leading to his arrest to answer charges relating to the December 13 clash in Ntungamo District between Mr Museveni and Amama Mbabazi’s supporters.

Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura told a press conference on Tuesday that the lawyers’ actions are “diversionary”. The Force has told the lawyers to produce Mr Aine or face arrest if they sustain the allegation against the Force. The lawyers have since petitioned the United Nations Human Rights Commission following the police threats to arrest them.

Mr Ezra Kabugo, Mr Aine’s cousin whose eye witness account forms the substance of the application, claims: “I was awoken by a security guard at my residence at Bombo Road who informed me that a group of police officers were looking for a Munyankole terrorist.” He says he was later asked to reveal Aine’s whereabouts.

Attempts by Daily Monitor to get a comment from Mr Patrick Onyango, the police spokesman in charge of Kampala Metropolitan, and Mr Fred Enanga, the police spokesman, were fruitless.
By close of business yesterday, the High Court in Nakawa had not set a date for hearing the application.