The court of Appeal has set May 2 as the date to start hearing the bail application for the Tabliq muslim sect leader, Sheikh Yunus Kamoga.
Kamoga and 5 others were last year convicted of charges related to Terrorism and sentenced to life in prison and 30 years jail terms respectively but the former applied for bail before the appellant court pending hearing and determination of his appeal against the sentence given to him by the International Crimes Division of the High Court in Kampala.
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On Wednesday when the application was supposed to be heard, the state through Lilian Omara, a Senior State Attorney told court that they could not proceed with the hearing because they were not yet prepared.
“We have not been able to verify the documents belonging to the sureties for the applicant whereas the police is still verifying some information in the affidavits we have,”Omara said.
She said that they had been served with the application late and were not yet in position to clearly peruse through the various documents from Kamoga’s lawyers to respond to them appropriately in regards to the bail application.
In his bail application, Sheikh Kamoga argued that he has several illnesses including high blood pressure and ulcer that necessitated that he is released temporarily pending determination of his appeal.
Justice Christopher Mandrama has adjourned the hearing of the matter to May 2.
Court in August 2017 found Kamoga guilty of committing terrorism when together with others printed fliers with the names of those targeted to be killed before distributing them in mosques.
Kamoga was also found guilty of holding meetings together with others in their homes from where they planned killings and sending of WhatsApp messages with pictures of graves, coffins, bullets to their rival groups.
Former Tabliq Sect leader was convicted on the offence of terrorism and was jointly convicted with Sheikh Siraje Kawooya, Sheikh Murta Mudde Bukenya, Fahad Kalungi, Yusuf Kakande alias Abudalla and Abdul Salam Sekayanja.
The court sentenced Sheikhs; Kamoga, Kawooya, Bukenya and Kalungi to life imprisonment while Kakande and Sekayanja will spend thirty years in prison.
The group is part of the 14 men acquitted of murdering Sheikh Mustafa Bahiga and Ibrahim Hassan Kirya and attempted murder of Sheikh Haruna Jjemba.
But the court held that under the terrorism charge, the convicts indiscriminately terrorized and maimed Sheikh Haruna Jjemba, Najib Ssonko, Bahiga, Umar Swadiq, Kirya, Mahmood Kibaate and Prince Kassim Nakibinge.
He was later sentenced to life imprisonment by three justices led by Ezekiel Muhanguzi to ‘’keep them away from society and to deter others who would want to commit such an offence.”
Additional Reporting by Esther Namutamba
