The Masaka High Court has in a twist of events declined to release the Kawempe North Legislator Ssegirinya Muhammed from jail even after the trial judge granted him bail.
The embattled Mp together with Allan Ssewanyana MP (Makindye West) were on Tuesday this week granted cash bail of 40 million shillings each after close to two weeks on remand at Kigo prison.
They also presented 3 sureties each including Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, Veronica Nanyondo (Woman MP Bukomansimbi District), and Francis Katabaazi (Kalungu East) and Francis Zaake (Mityana Municipality), Christine Nandagire Ndiwalana (Bukomansimbi North), and Robert Walugembe, a brother to Ssegirinya.
The fees are supposed to be deposited in a bank account and sureties sign release order papers as prerequisites for the MP to be released from prison.
Erias Lukwago their lead lawyer now says efforts to release Ssegirinya says it will be impossible to release the legislator
Lukwago explains that one of his sureties Mityana Municipality MP Hon Francis Zaake is out of the country on other duties and cannot sign his release order papers.
.”There are circumstances that are beyond our control, Hon Zaake who is his surety is supposed to be here but we are told he is out of the country, we tried to engage the judicial officers here, we had an interface with the Judge in charge of this station, Justice Wanjitusi but Court has declined with the order of the trial judge . we have sought the indulgence of the Court to substitute him but that would require to file a fresh bail application.”
Now the lawyers Shamim Shamim Malende and Lukwago have to file another application seeking Court to substitute Hon.Zaake with Hon.Joyce Bagala and Hon.Nsanjja.
”We have opted to file an application not for bail but for variation for the court order to substitute Hon Zaake with another 2 sureties, who we called in at short notice and they have agreed to stand for him. Unfortunately, we have to go through certain formal processes like an affidavit to be signed by Hon Ssegirinya at Kigo and again filed before it is fixed for hearing,so you will have to sympathize with him because he will take longer in Court.”
