I was tortured, forced to sign statement admitting murder of Nagirinya- key suspect tells court

Copriyam Kasolo, alias Arsenal, the man accused of having been the mastermind of the kidnap and subsequent murder of Maria Nagirinya and her driver Ronald Kitayimbwa has told court that he was tortured and later forced to sign a statement in which he admitted to the offences.

On Wednesday, Detective ASP Winfred Nakatudde was presented as the 15^th state witness to pin the suspects accused of kidnapping and killing the duo.

During his testimony, Nakatudde told court that she recorded a charge and caution statement in which Kasolo admitted to having participated in the kidnap and subsequent murder of the duo.

The state prosecutors asked court to admit the statement by Kasolo as evidence pinning him on the murder.

Kasolo protests

However, in response, Kasolo told court that the statement should not be admitted as evidence against him because he was tortured so as to ensure he admits to participating in the kidnap and murder of the duo.

He narrated circumstances under which the torture allegedly happened.

“During the day I was arrested, I was hawking my shoes at Mabiito in Nateete when security operatives surrounded the area, fired several shots of bullets in the air and later arrested everyone, including myself . I was arrested and a hood place over my head and bundled into a waiting vehicle,” Kasolo told court.

He said that he was later taken to an unknown place and taken to a room with no windows and ventilators but with too much light.

“We couldn’t differentiate between day and night. From the room I was removed and a hood placed over  my head and taken to a room which had a metallic table. On the table were all sorts of equipment including hammers, electric wires, pliers, nails,iron bars, teargas canisters and many others. On the fateful day, in the room were five men dressed in black uniforms . Inside the room was also that lady(Nakatudde),”Kasolo told court.

With tears rolling down his cheeks, the suspect told court that documents were presented to him by Nakatudde asking him to sign them and that when he refused, torture begun.

“I was asked to make my legs flat before one of the security officers got an electric wire and started flogging my feet. He beat me several times. Later, another officer came with a pistol that he pointed into my mouth. He corked it and said was going to shoot me dead. At this time I accepted to sign the documents,” Kasolo told court.

He said for fear of losing his life, he accepted to sign the documents, noting that he was however asked to append his name in small letters instead of his signature.

“After seeing a corked pistol pointed at me, I had nothing else to do but sign on the documents.”

Kasolo told court that the torture was witnessed by his co-accused,  Johnson Lubega alias Rasta who was also forced to sign a statement.

Lubega also testified in defence of his co-accused Kasolo affirming the alleged torture.

Contradict

During cross examination by the state prosecutors, Kasolo contradicted himself when he told court that by September, 10 when he allegedly recorded the statement he had no visible injuries and that two days later, he had them.

Kasolo also told court that Nakatudde’s second name was Harriet and not Winfred, noting that on the statement he signed, it was written Harriet.

However, when asked to confirm the same,  it was found out that the statement had Winfred.

In cross examination, Lubega also contradicted when told court that the story of Kasolo’s torture was just narrated to him yet he had earlier said he personally witnessed the same.

When asked whether he would have known about the story of the alleged torture if Kasolo had not told him about it, Lubega answered in the negative.

“If Kasolo had not told me the story of his torture, there is no way I would have known about it,” Lubega said.

State rubbishes torture claims

In his submission, the Chief State Attorney, Jonathan Muwaganya asked court to throw out the torture claims by Kasolo  that he described as full of lies.

He asked court to admit the charge and caution statement in which Kasolo pleaded guilty to the kidnap and murder.

The state attorney told court that had the statement been got through torture, Kasolo would have challenged the same through cross examination of the state witness but didn’t do it.

“The allegations of torture were raised belatedly and were not even put to any of the prosecution witnesses in cross examination. The law states that whenever an opponent has declined to avail himself f opportunity to put his essential and material case in cross examination,  it is believe that the testimony given is not disputed at all,”Muwaganya said.

He said the details of the statement show that it is Kasolo himself who gave them to the police officer who recorded it.

“The charge and caution statement has 10 pages, it bears the correct particulars of the accused like names, his work and place of residence. There is no way the officer could have known details like the pseudo name and where the accused stayed. These details cant be known by a stranger if not given by the accused,” Muwaganya told court.

“The evidence by Kasolo is incredible because it is contradicted.”

The state prosecutor asked court to dismiss the evidence and admit the charge and caution statement in which Kasolo admitted to participating in the kidnap and murder of Nagirinya and her driver Kitayimbwa.

The trial judge, Isaac Muwata has adjourned the matter to Monday,March, 6 to give his ruling in the matter.