Army court orders MP Kabaziguruka’s arrest
The General Court Martial sitting at Makindye has issued an arrest warrant against Nakawa Municipality Division Member of Parliament (MP) Michael Kabaziguruka after he refused to turn up in court for hearing of his treachery case.
The lead prosecutor, Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Maj. Raphael Mugisha, has told a seven-member court chaired by Lt. General Andrew Gutti that ever since Kabaziguruka was released on bail by the High Court last year, he has never turned up for mention of the case in the General Court Martial.
Maj. Mugisha explained that the interim order on MP Kabaziguruka secured from the Constitutional Court blocking his trial before the army court lapsed, when the same court nullified injunctions issued by single judges, and therefore he can no longer use it as an excuse not to appear in court.
It’s against this background that Maj. Mugisha asked court to order for the Ugandan legislator’s arrest, since he had according to him defied court summons on two occasions.
Maj. Mugisha says investigations into Kabaziguruka’s case and 25 others are complete but hearing can not start in his absence.
Kabaziguruka who has since challenged this trial in the Constitutional Court, was arrested in June last year and charged before the army court with treachery and offences relating to security.
Prosecution alleges that he connived with serving UPDF officers to infiltrate security by engaging in war-like activities with an intention of overthrowing the government of Uganda.