DPP takes over Bujjingo second marriage case
Pastor Aloysious Bujjingo of House of Prayer Ministries International is accused of having a customary marriage with his new lover, Ms Suzan Makula Nantaba, yet he is still married to his first wife, Ms Teddy Naluswa Bujjingo.
What you need to know:
- Ms Makula faces the offence of marriage with a person previously married.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has now taken over the prosecution of the case in which Pastor Aloysious Bujjingo of House of Prayer Ministries International is accused of entering into a second marriage.
Ms Janet Kitimbo, the Resident State Attorney at Entebbe Magistrate’s Court, announced the development on Friday.
The office had late last year indicated that they won’t take over the case that was privately being prosecuted by lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi.
“Pursuant to Article 120 (3) c of the Constitution, Section 42 (1) a and c of the Magistrates Act, this is to inform court that the Director of Public Prosecutions is taking over the criminal proceedings in this case,” a January 12 letter from the DPP reads in part.
“We, therefore, request that the complainants (Mr Mabirizi) avail us with all the reasonable information and furnish us with all documents under their control regarding this case,” the letter adds.
Late last year, Mr Mabirizi commenced private prosecution of Pastor Bujjingo and his new lover, Ms Suzan Makula Nantaba, for contracting a new customary marriage and yet there is a subsisting church marriage that he had with his first wife, Ms Teddy Naluswa Bujjingo.
Ms Makula faces the offence of marriage with a person previously married.
The court has since confirmed three charges against Pastor Bujjingo and Ms Makula and they are set to appear before court on January 21.
Responding to the new development, Mr Mabirizi claimed the DPP representative, Ms Lamula Ddamba, on December 22 last year, informed court that upon consulting her senior, Ms Kitimbo, said the DPP’s office would not take over the case.
“I will not allow the DPP to play around with my case and make court an unserious place, where she breathes cold and warm at the same time. The DPP must know that she cannot eat her cake and have it at the same time,” Mr Mabirizi said at the weekend.
“If she wanted to take over, she would not have informed court that she will not take over. I will on Monday (today) take appropriate action to strike out this illegal, null and senseless attempt to play around with our search for justice,” he added.
However, when contacted, Ms Irene Nakibungwe, the DPP deputy spokesperson, said they took over the case to avoid multiple prosecution of Pastor Bujjingo.
“There was another case that had been registered at KMP, and there is this one of Mabirizi, all having the same facts against Pastor Bujjingo,” she said.
