Mbarara Grade One Magistrate Court issues criminal summons against Besigye and four others over criminal charges
Rt Col Dr Kizza Besigye, former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), the four-time presidential candidate has been summoned by Mbarara Grade One Magistrate Court, over failure to appear before the court following criminal charges of assaulting a police officer, malicious damage and inciting violence, committed on November 14, 2017 according to police.
Dr Besigye is accused alongside four other persons. However, on Friday court proceedings on the case were adjourned by Magistrate, Sanyu Mukasa because both the accused and the State Attorney did not come.
“I am unable to proceed; the state attorney and the accused are not in court. The criminal summons will be issued to the accused to appear on August 9th,” Mukasa stated.
Lydia Ahimbisibwe, a defence lawyer said that the accused members failed to make it to Magistrate Court because they had a party meeting to attend.
These include; Kawempe South legislator, Mubaraka Munyagwa, FDC President, Patrick Amuriat Oboi, Dr Besigye’s Driver Fred Kato, Dr Besigye himself and Ingrid Turinawe, Secretary for Mobilisation FDC.
“Your worship I have just been informed by my clients (Besigye and co-accused) that they are attending party meetings and they are unable to come,” Ahimbisibwe Defence Lawyer said.
However, Dr Besigye denied all charge when he appeared before the Magistrate Court on the 10 of May 2019.
According to him, the charges were designed particularly to damage their efforts, adding that they are going to use the same charges charged against them to unveil the government’s ill-motives against them.
“We shall continue to expose them as is being done in court but we have never incited anybody. We have never caused violence to anyone. It is the regime that is violent,” Besigye said.
, the four-time presidential candidate has been summoned by Mbarara Grade One Magistrate Court,){kind=link}