Court of Appeal Denies Bail to MPs Ssegirinya , Ssewanyana
The Court of Appeal in Kampala has denied bail to Members of Parliament Muhammad Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana.
The ruling was made on Wednesday by a panel of three Court of Appeal Justices comprised of Cheborion Barishaki, Christopher Izama Madrama, and Eva Luswata.
Sewanyana, the Makindye East MP, and Ssegirinya of Kawempe North were arrested on September 7 2021 alongside seven others in connection to the machete killings in Lwengo and Masaka districts. They were later granted bail on 21 September, but the two MPs were re-arrested from the outskirts of Kigo Prisons, and fresh murder charges were preferred against them.
They applied for bail but on October 25, Masaka High Court Judge Lawrence Tweyanze denied them bail on grounds that they are accused of a string of Capital offenses that all attract a maximum of the death penalty and that the MPs could flee from justice and given their position in society as lawmakers, they would interfere with the trial process.
Dissatisfied with the decision, they appeared in the Court of Appeal raising seven grounds.
Through their lawyers, Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi, Erias Lukwago, and Shamim Malende they told Court that bail is a constitutional right and that their clients had been kidnapped by unknown people only to be dumped in Kigo Prison.
Source: URN
