Absence of charge sheet delays MP Ssekikubo trial
Lwemiyaga County MP Theodre Ssekikubo addresses journalists after the court session at Masaka Magistrates Court on February 18, 2020. PHOTO BY AMBROSE MUSASIZI
What you need to know:
- The MP's lawyer argue that the state has lost interest in prosecuting the case.
- Ms Amina Akasa asked court for more time to enable them obtain the charge sheet from police.
Masaka Chief Magistrates Court on Tuesday adjourned a case in which Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo is accused of attempted murder.
The case that is before Masaka Chief Magistrate Deogratious Ssejemba is said to have been committed in 2010 during the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Party primaries.
Prosecution claims that Ssekikubo shot Habibu Nsamba, a security operative during the hotly contested NRM party primaries where Ssekikubo defeated his rival Patrick Nkalubo.
Mr Ssekikubo’s lawyers led by Mr Medard Lubega Ssegoona in their submissions on Tuesday asked court to dismiss the case saying the state seems to have lost interest in the matter.
“The state has failed to make disclosure of their case despite repeated pleas to them which has made it hard for us to prepare for the case,” he said.
However, the state prosecutor, Ms Amina Akasa asked court for more time to enable them obtain the charge sheet from police.
“Our efforts to acquire the charge sheet have not yielded anything yet and this has barred us from making disclosure of the case but we promise we can make partial disclosure before the close of business today[Tuesday],” she said.
The presiding magistrate adjourned the case to April 7 when hearing is expected to commence.
For the second charge of forcefully entering Lwemiyaga cattle market and selling cows in a quarantined area following the outbreak of Foot –and-Mouth Disease in Sembabule District, the case was also deferred to the same date (April 7) after Ms Akasa disclosed that they plan to amend the charge sheet.
She however, declined to tell court the changes the state plans to make in the charge sheet.
“We need more time to get our witnesses ready and to enable us tender amended charge sheet to court,” Akasa said.
Mr Ssekikubo, however told journalists after the court session that the cases preferred against him are premised on trumped–up charges and will be dismissed like it was done in 2010 after state failed to adduce incriminating evidence against him.
“The charges are aimed at distracting me from doing my work as a legislator and fighting for interests of poor people. I ask government not to abuse the due process of the law. If they have the evidence against me, let them bring it up,” he said.
