Besigye, Lutale Decline to Appear, Insist on Different Judge

Highcourt Judge Emmanuel Baguma has for the second time summoned Dr. Besigye and Hajji Lutale to appear before him and present their reasons as to why they want him off their second bail attempt.

However, their lawyer Elias Lukwago insists they will not appear since they have no businessman before a ” biased judge ” who already ruled that the 2 suspects should not waste time on applying for bail but rather concentrate on the main case.

Lukwago further insists, Besigye and Lutale’s treason case file is wrongly before Justice Baguma, as the same must be before the International Crimes Division court, where the suspects were committed to by the Nakawa court.  

Lukwago also faults Justice Baguma for insisting on hearing the second bail application for Besigye and Lutale against the practice direction for courts where judges are not supposed to preside over numerous bail applications for the same parties.

Besigye and Lutale are now asking that their second bail application be re-allocated to another judge for hearing.

Lukwago on behalf of his clients had appeared before justice Baguma for further directions regarding their second bail application after the judge dismissed the earlier one in which they had wanted to be released mandatorily having clocked 180 days in remand without trial.  

However while in court, Lukwago asked justice Baguma to first hear him out on reasons as to why he should step down from hearing the bail application, having not been satisfied with the earlier reasons the judge gave in his ruling for refusing to recuse himself. 

Justice Baguma insisted he will hear the same on the 8th of October in the presence of Dr. Besigye and Hajji Lutale.

He has consequently issued production warrants for the duo to be brought on that day by prison authorities who are holding them. Meanwhile, the 2 were also ordered to appear before Justice Baguma on the 1st of October for trial.

The pair has been in prison since November last year on charges of Treason.