An inquiry by the Judicial Service Commission has cleared the Chief Justice, Alphonse Owiny Dollo of any wrongdoing towards Supreme Court Judge, Esther Kisaakye during the hearing of a petition by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu challenging President Museveni’s 2021 election victory.
In its decision, the Judicial Service Commission indicated that there is no evidence to prove the allegations against the Chief Justice.
“The inquiry findings didn’t disclose any evidence to support the allegation that Justice Dr.Kisaakye was held hostage at the orders of the Chief Justice as alleged,” the JSC said in its report.
The Supreme Court was in 2021 thrown into pandemonium after Justice Kisaakye accused the Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny Dollo of ordering the confiscation of her dissenting ruling in the petition by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu also known as Bobi Wine in which he had challenged the election of President Museveni.
The Supreme Court in its ruling dismissed an application an application in which Kyagulanyi sought to file more evidence in the petition challenging Museveni’s re-election.
However, Justice Kisaakye said her dissenting ruling had been confiscated by the Chief Justice.
“I informed the court that I will be delivering my consolidated rulings on the four applications. My colleagues have opted not to attend this afternoon session,” Justice Kisaakye said.
She sat alone to deliver what she termed as her consolidated ruling but she returned to the chambers to collect her file but on return she told journalists the file had been confiscated on orders of the Chief Justice.
Meanwhile lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi lodged a complaint before the Judicial Service Commission over the conduct of the Chief Justice during the petition challenging President Museveni’s re-election.
“Owiny Dollo is a time bomb to Uganda because he has turned Supreme Court into a judicial deals house where justice is perverted through fraudulent and illogical actions and decisions thereby defeating Uganda people’s interests and aspirations,”Mabirizi wrote in his complaint.
However, in its findings, the Judicial Service Commission says that as the head of the Supreme Court, for proper and efficient administration of justice, the Chief Justice is required to from time to time issue orders and directions to courts.
The JSC however noted that they didn’t find any deviation from the above role by the Chief Justice.
“There is no statement from Justice Dr.Kisaakye in support of the allegation that she was held hostage by the Chief Justice at all before, during or after the events that occurred at the Supreme Court of Uganda,” the Judicial Service Commission says in its report.
“There is no formal complaint received from Justice Dr.Kisaakye by the commission regarding the public claim of confiscation of her file by the Hon. Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny Dollo or of his directing for the switching off lights.”
The development comes on the backdrop of another ruling in which the Judicial Service Commission recommended to President Museveni that Justice Esther Kisaakye should be removed from the Supreme Court.
