Court summons lawyer Male Mabirizi over Shs300m fine
Lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi addresses journalists recently. PHOTO / FILE
What you need to know:
- Mr Mabirizi has been summoned by Justice Musa Ssekaana who last month issued an order requiring him to pay a fine of Shs300m for attacking judicial officers. He is expected to appear before the court on Friday.
The fight between lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi and High Court Judge has taken a new twist after the court summoned the former to appear and explain why he should not be jailed for violating a court order.
Mr Mabirizi has been summoned by Justice Musa Ssekaana who last month issued an order requiring him to pay a fine of Shs300m for attacking judicial officers. He is expected to appear before the court on Friday.
“You are hereby required to appear before this court on February 11, to show cause why you should not be committed to prison for contempt of court,” reads in part the signed notice by Justice Ssekaana.
Mr Mabirizi was last month punished by Justice Ssekaana for having negatively and publicly portrayed Justice Phillip Odoki of the High Court as incompetent.
“These statements and posts tended to lower the authority of Justice Odoki and the High Court by suggesting that a ruling was not valid or had no legal effect and that it should not be accorded any respect by the public,” ruled Justice Ssekaana.
“By attacking the authenticity of the ruling the respondent’s (Mr Mabiirizi) statements tended to undermine the confidence of the public in whether judicial decisions of Justice Odoki and the High Court or the judiciary can be relied on as valid and genuine, which would tend to prejudice the public interest in the administration of justice,” he added.
To that effect, Justice Ssekaana opted to have Mr Mabiiri punished for his reckless attacks on the judicial officers.
Mr Mabirizi’s woes arose from a case in November 2021 in which he had sued the Capital Market Authority that was before Justice Odoki. However, before judgment, Mr Mabirizi tweeted suggesting that the trial judge should rule in his favour thus posting the judge’s photo for the public to know him for being corrupt and incompetent.
The two have been in disagreement since December 2019 in a case in which Mr Mabirizi appeared before Justice Ssekaana seeking to nullify the appointment of Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson Justice Simon Peter Byabakama citing that he did not first resign as Justice of the Court of Appeal before he took up the new appointment.
However, during the hearing of the case this did not go on well as the Judge told Mr Mabirizi to submit his rubbish which saw him (Mabirizi) asking the judge to excuse himself from hearing the case on grounds that when he was still in private practice, he had represented the EC in various parliamentary electoral petitions.
