Prosecutors Up in Arms Over Arrest of Kabale State Attorney

Update

The President of the Uganda Affiliation of Prosecutors (UAP), Mr. Batson Baguma in a assertion issued on Saturday, 15th Oct, rebutted and disassociated the Association from the previously assertion issued by Mr. Timothy Amerit, the Common Counsel of the Affiliation on which this story was based expressing the Common Counsel has no mandate to talk for the Affiliation as this mandate is vested in the President, the Secretary Typical and the Publicity Secretary. Mr. Timothy Amerit withdrew his assertion. More, Mr. Batson Baguma said as an Association they interacted with Mr. Edwin Mbabazi and the Inspectorate of Government and discovered that his legal rights were being not violated as the previously statement experienced claimed.

Prosecutors less than their umbrella body, the Uganda Association of Prosecutors (UAP) have strongly condemned the arrest of their colleague, the Kabale Condition Legal professional, Mr. Edwin Mbabazi who was arrested yesterday, the 13^th of Oct, 2022 on the guidelines of the Inspectorate of Federal government.

Mr. Edwin Mbabazi is remaining accused of soliciting and getting “gratification” of UGX 125,000 as portion payment of UGX 500,000 dollars he allegedly questioned of a Kyanamira town Council, Kabale district resident to shut a legal trespass situation versus him.

“The Inspectorate of Government gained a criticism from a member of the general public who alleged that a situation of prison trespass was claimed towards him at Kyanamira police station and later, the case was transferred to Kabale Central police station. He had been arrested and introduced on bond by Kabale Police on 30^th September 2022. When he claimed back to Police, he was informed that his circumstance experienced been forwarded to the State Attorney Kabale. He then went to the business office of the State Legal professional to inform him that there was one more Civil subject which was right before the Chief Magistrates Court Kabale relating to the similar land he was accused to [have trespassed] below Court docket file No. Civil Misc. Software No. 39 of 2022.

“That the State Attorney called Edwin Mbabazi promised to peruse by way of his file and get again to him by way of his mobile phone variety. That Mr Edwin Mbabazi contacted him on Monday 10^th October 2022 employing a phone selection +25678855009 and questioned him to present a bribe truly worth UGX 500,000 in buy to near the prison case in opposition to him. This prompted him to report the subject to Kabale Regional Business for redress.” reads a Press statement by the Inspectorate of Govt.

Whilst the Prosecutors say they do not condone corruption, they declare in a Assertion under signed by the association’s General Counsel Mr. Amerit Timothy that the State Attorney’s arrest is malicious and a violation of his rights assured below the Constitution of Uganda, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Rules on the Job of Prosecutors.

Especially, the Prosecutors take issue with the way of the State Attorney’s arrest which they say was arbitrary, high handed and was undertaken in the class of efficiency of his professional duties. The Prosecutors even further condemn the wide publication of the Point out Attorney’s arrest in the media.

“For the history, UAP does not condone acts of corruption. UAP on the other hand condemns the act of arrest and detention of a Prosecutor in the course of performing his specialist obligations as this is not premised on the basic tenets of the law in Uganda and international conventions.” The assertion reads, adding:

“We in the utmost manner condemn the wide and massive publication of these kinds of an arrest in the media without following the thanks course of action of law. This sort of perform was uncouth and draconian. Parading an arrested suspect before the media is prejudicial to the tenets of fair hearing, which is the hallmark of the prison justice procedure. It jeopardises the sanctity of the full legal prosecution and inadvertently tarnishes the image of the suspect before affordable members of society. Suspects too have legal rights.”

Specially, the Prosecutors say, the arrest of Mr. Edwin Mbabazi violates Posts 27, 40(2) of the Uganda Structure, Articles 9, 12 of the Common Declaration of Human Rights and Recommendations 4, 21, and 22 of the Suggestions on the Position of Prosecutors – provisions of the legislation which defend all individuals and in individual Prosecutors from arbitrary arrests and attacks on privacy.

The Prosecutors purpose that the State Attorney should really not have been subjected to “shameful” arrest without prior consideration of the recourse to summons delivered for in Part 39 (4) (b) of the Police Act.

Mr. Edwin Mbabazi’s arrest is the next arrest of a State Attorney by the Inspectorate of Federal government in a space of 6 months on account of a bribe, the initial getting Mr. Charles Bwiso who was arrested in Masindi for getting UGX 1,500,000.

Commenting on the arrest, the Workplace of the Director of Community Prosecutions underneath which the Prosecutors tumble, simply claimed it does not condone any acts of corruption and that it will await the outcome of the investigations and let thanks system to acquire its system.