Gen.Tumukunde runs to court to challenge police summons

Presidential aspirant and former Security Minister, Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde has run to court to challenge Police’s criminal summons against him.

Tumukunde was last week summoned to report to the Criminal Investigations Directorate for questioning over his alleged meeting with army veterans but the former spymaster sent his lawyer, Friday Robert Kagoro to represent him.

Police however said they still want him to appear in person.

However, in his application before the Civil Division of the High Court in Kampala, Tumukunde says in the police summons, no offence was stated and that it was not shown whether he is summoned to appear as a suspect or a witness.

“On August,18, 2020, I instructed my lawyer, Friday Roberts Kagoro to attend to the second respondent (AIGP Grace Akullo)and establish the reason for the summons and he returned information that he had  been subjected to a meeting in which the second respondent was present together with one Brig. Christopher Ddamulira attached to the UPDF and army court martial and Lt. Col.Raphael Mugisha attached to the UPDF and a prosecutor in the army court martial,” Tumukunde says.

He says he is a civilian and is not subject to or connected to the UPDF or military in any way.

“I know that there are several individual politicians and political groups that have engaged veterans in their political activities but none of them has been summoned by the second respondent or the Uganda Police.”

He says that the CID summons issued to him by CID are not justifiable or acceptable in a free and democratic society and therefore an infringement on his rights.

Order

In his application, Tumukunde wants court to declare CID summons illegal and contravention of his rights.

“The applicant seeks a declaration that the summons dated August,18,2020 and contents therein issued by the second respondent(CID) to the applicant or the act of summoning the applicant to the Criminal Investigations Directorate(CID) offices is a violation  is a threat to the applicant’s fundamental rights guaranteed under the 1995 constitution,” the court documents say.

He says the summons are an infringement to his right to personal liberty, freedom of expression, freedom of association and the right to participate in the affairs of governance in accordance with the law.

“A declaration that the summons issued by the second respondent to the applicant to the Criminal Investigations Directorate(CID) offices amounts to political persecution.”

He wants court to order government to pay him shs70 million in general damages for its high handedness and fragrant breach of the law.