7 Kaweesi murder suspects 'released'

Nakawa magistrate's court has released on bail seven out of the 22 people accused of masterminding the murder of former police spokesperson AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi.

Kaweesi was sprayed with over 80 rounds of bullets as he left his home in Kulambiro together with his driver and bodyguard in March.

Last month, eight of the 22 suspects were committed to High Court for trial .

Nine of the remaining suspects through their lawyers led by Geoffrey Turyamusiima applied for bail.

In his ruling on Tuesday,Nakawa grade one magistrate Noah Sajjabi said he was cognisant of the fact that the suspects had spent more than six months on remand without trial stressing that they can be released on bail.

"I find merit in the bail application,"Sajjabi said.

He explained that he had been convinced of the credentials of their sureties .

Those released on bail include; Ahmed Ssenfuka,Maganda Umaru,Hassan Tumusiime,Sheikh,Musa Ntende,Ibrahim kisa,Asuman Mugoya and Abdul Majid Ojegere.

The magistrate  however noted that each of the suspects would be required to pay 50 million shillings bond non cash and 500 million non cash for each of the sureties.

Speaking shortly after court, the suspects' lawyers said this was a good step towards realising the truth about the offences.

This comes barely a month after  High Court judge  Margaret Oumo Oguli ordered government to compensate the Kaweesi murder suspects to a tune of shs 1.7 billion for being tortured.

The twenty two suspects through their lawyers led by Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi had  sued government for torture and inhumane treatment by police and the UPDF  during their arrest early this year.

"They were arrested when they were fine but now have various physical challenges, "Justice Oguli said in her ruling in October.

"These people were mere suspects and presumed innocent. There was no need for torturing them."

She ordered that each of the 22 suspects be compensated to a tune of 80 million shillings and warned this amount would attract a 20 percent interest from the day of the ruling  in case government dragged its feet in paying them.