Tumukunde asks court to drop treason charges against him

The City Hall Magistrates’ Court has adjourned the ruling in an application by independent presidential candidate Gen. Henry Tumukunde in which he wants the court to review the treason charges levied against him.

Grade One Magistrate Valerian Tuhimbise was yesterday expected to rule on the application in which Tumukunde wants the High Court to investigate what he terms as a purported infringement of his constitutional rights.

Tuhimbise revealed that he adjourned the case due to failure by the prosecution team to file written submissions as directed by the court last month.

Court had earlier on asked prosecution and defence teams to submit written submissions in the cases of treason and illegal possession of firearms brought against the former spy chief and security minister.

The court was also expected to decide on whether or not to commit Tumukunde to High Court for the treason case and rule on his application on human rights violations.

Tumukunde through his lawyers Anthony Wameli and Geoffrey Turyamusiima contends that he was kept in detention for over six days without trial from where he was allegedly tortured and denied access to his doctors which are contrary to section 7 of the Human Rights Enforcement Act.

"Our application which emanates from human rights enforcement acts will be able to send this matter to high court for investigations of his human rights infringement,"he noted

"The states still continues to say that they are still investigating, which we believe that,its their game to disrupt him(Tumukunde) and at the same time delay Justice," Turyamusiima argued.

Tumukunde accuses the magistrate of failure to investigate a violation of his human rights while in police custody and at Luzira Prisons where he claims he was detained in solitary confinement.

According to Tumukunde there is nothing spectacular about his case.

The prosecution alleges that Tumukunde while appearing on NBS TV in March this year, made a statement that calls upon Rwanda to invade Uganda and cause an unlawful change of government.

The DPP says such talk was aimed at encouraging Rwanda to invade Uganda and cause the unlawful change of government

They also allege that Tumukunde was on March 13, 2020, at Impala Avenue Kololo found in possession of a modified AK-47 rifle N0. 19865-BU3618 and a star pistol N0.EL-860030 without holding a valid firearms certificate.