Judge Baguma Dismisses Besigye Petition to Pause Treason Trial

Justice Emmaunel Baguma of the high court has dismissed a request by Dr. Kiiza Besigye and his Aide Hajji Lutale to halt  their treason trial and be released on bail.

Highcourt Judge Emmanuel Baguma has instead ordered that Dr. Kiiza Besigye and Obeid Lutale should plead to treason charges immediately without any further delay.

Besigye and Lutale had previously asked the court to halt proceedings pending the determination of a petition in the Constitutional Court challenging Justice Baguma’s impartiality.

The petition follows a complaint lodged with the Judicial Service Commission accusing the judge of bias and incompetence. Lead defence lawyer Ernest Kalibbala argued that the High Court has the authority to grant interim relief to preserve the integrity of the constitutional process and protect the applicants’ right to a fair trial.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions strongly opposed both the stay of proceedings and the bail application.

In his ruling delivered today, Justice Baguma noted that it would be unfair to halt the trial and release the accused on bail without them telling court if they indeed committed the offense against them it not .
The judge has therefore ruled that even though he is mindful of the accused’s right to the presumption of innocence, Besigye and Lutale should plead to the charges for which they were committed for trial in May. 12

However, Dr. Besigye and his lawyers have voiced concerns that the plea -taking is an ambush because the said ruling was supposed to be delivered by mail last week on Tuesday.

The Lawyers have informed the judge that they have not prepared for plea -taking and proceeding with the same will occasion a miscarriage of justice. 

The pair is co-jointly charged with a UPDF Capt Dennis Oola for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government of Uganda between years 2023 and 2024..