Jamil Mukulu pre-trial hearing flops

Former ADF leader Jamil Mukulu and 37 of his co-accused will have to wait a little more after hearing their pre-trial failed to kick off.

High court judge of the international crimes division Eva Luswata pushed the hearing for two months after lawyers demanded for new documents from Tanzania.

Lawyers representing Jamil Mukulu want prosecution to accord them documents detailing court procedures while Mukulu and two others were in Tanzania before extradition to Uganda alongside the record of proceedings from the Jinja chief magistrate’s court.

Though prosecution led by Asimwe John Baptist had told high judge of the international crimes division Eva Luswata that they were ready to proceed with hearing, the same was objected to by defense.

Defense lawyers representing Jamil Mukulu Evans Ochieng and Caleb Alaka said they would not proceed because the state is yet to disclose some of the most critical documents which they may need for their defense in the case.

These said they want documents that were involved in the repatriation of Jamil Mukulu and two others from Tanzania by the chief magistrates’ court at Kisutu in 2015. The lawyers first demanded documents including the charge sheet which was based on to repatriate the three accused persons, a letter from the attorney general that ordered for amendment of charges against Jamil Mukulu among others.

These however later changed demanding that they be accorded the full record of proceedings at the Kisitu Chief Magistrates court in Tanzania saying this would help them gather more information for their defense.

Though the state committed to the court order requiring them to produce the documents they informed court that retrieving the Tanzanian documents would derail the case even further considering the diplomatic process involved between two countries.

Within the same court proceeding arose a matter of accused 38 who was ill and too weak to sit up without support from others. The judge ordered that he be accorded proper treatment before its thought that he was tortured.

Mukulu and the co-accused are charged with crimes relating to terrorism which state alleges they committed as part of the adf rebel group.