Pine Car bond owner pleads not guilty to murder as trial starts

The trial against Pine car bond owner Muhammad Ssebuufu and seven others who are charged with the murder of Donah Katushabe a former business woman has started at the high court.

High court judge Flavia Senoga, who is presiding over the matter had the charges read to the suspects who pleaded not guilty. The judge however refused to adjourn the matter for another two weeks as was being requested by the defense who argued they needed more time to analyze the documentation that was handed to them by prosecution.

This means that  the case is ready for kick off after former Central police station DPC Aaron Baguma was scrapped off the charge sheet.

In a session where cameras were not allowed, high court judge Flavia Ssenoga started the trial of Pine car bond proprietor Muhammad Ssebuufu and seven others. The group is accused of torturing to death a former business woman Donah Katushabe after she failed to clear a debt of Shs 9 million.

The group pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and robbery of a phone worth 300,000 shillings.

There was controversy in court however when the defense lawyers sought a two weeks’ adjournment saying they were furnished with evidence very late and had not gotten enough time to discuss the documents that were disclosed to them with their clients.

Prosecution argued there was no need for adjournment because the late disclosure was partly caused by the defense counsel themselves who were not clear on who had instructions relating to the different suspects. These also argued that the case had for long been in the accused’s favor to an extent that in 2017 it was scrapped off a court session after defense lawyers said they weren’t ready.

The judge conquered with prosecution and declined to grant the adjournment saying the defense team was being neither balanced nor considerate of the deceased’s family because the matter had been adjourned for now three consecutive times.

Ssenoga then set the matter for the first witness who was present in court to be heard on for 8^th February 2018.

Prosecution also informed court that there had been earlier indications that the Sebuwufu the key suspect in the matter expressed interest in plea bargaining which allows a suspect plead guilty to an offense for a lighter sentence.

These however added that from what transpired in court with all suspects pleading not guilty, neither the suspects nor the defense lawyers pursued the matter to conclusion.