The lawyers representing the police officers charged for kidnapping Lt Joel Mutabazi, a former bodyguard to Rwandan president Paul Kagame in 2013 have said their clients were tortured while in detention so as to pin the Inspector General of Police, Gen.Kale Kayihura of having participated in the crimes.
The Court Martial in Makindye on Friday morning charged the former commander police Special Operations Unit, Senior Superintendent of Police Nixon Agasiirwe, Senior Commissioner of Police Joel Aguma(Commandant of Professional Standard Unit) former commander of Police Special Operations, Sgt Abel Tumukunde ( Flying Squad) Assistant Superintendent of Police Magada (Crime Intelligence) and Faisal Katende(Flying Squad) for kidnap.
However, while speaking to journalists shortly after court, the suspects’ lead lawyer Caleb Alaka said his clients underwent torture in the hands of CMI operatives so as to pin the police boss in the crimes.
“While in detention, the investigators did everything within their means to ensure that these people implicated IGP Kale Kayihura,”Alaka said on Friday afternoon.
Describing it as being ridiculous, the accused’s lawyers said that other suspects including Pacifique Bahati Mugenga(Congolese) and Rene Rutagira(Rwandese) who have been charged together with the police officers have never met.
If they did that, they are going to be set free. They brought a Rwandese and Congolese .These people(police officers) have never seen the two people.”
Alaka said the said crimes were committed in 2013 adding that if anything ever happened, it was during the time when Uganda police worked hand in hand with their Rwandan counterparts.
“These charges are absolutely frivolous and the intention has come out because these people say the Director of CMI coerced them to implicate Gen.Kale Kayihura.”
Alaka said he was sure the charges against his clients would be quashed .
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