and Violet Nabatanzi
NAKAWA Court yesterday dismissed all charges against Democratic Party president Norbert Mao and six other party members who were arrested during the walk-to-work demonstration two weeks ago.
This came after their lawyers, Caleb Alaka, Dalton Opwonya and Medard Lubega Sseggona, objected to a move by the state to transfer the accused persons from City Hall Court where they first appeared two weeks ago to Nakawa Court.
They also resisted attempts to open fresh charges against the accused persons before terminating the initial charges, adding that transferring the charge sheet to Nakawa Court could not also clear the irregularity.
“The charges to which the accused persons took plea were illegal. They were filed in a court that had no jurisdiction, therefore, that trial was a nullity,” Sseggona submitted.
Presiding magistrate George Obong concurred with the team and ruled that “a case filed in a court which is not competent is presumed to be non-existent.”
“I therefore sustain the objection raised by the defence lawyers that the case transferred from City Hall is non-existent.
The state was at liberty to register fresh charges against the accused persons in a competent court,” he added.
Soon after, Mao led a chanting crowd out of the court premises in a Kampala suburb, heading for the city centre.
There was a scuffle at Lugogo as the Police pleaded with Mao to divert from Jinja Road to Lugogo Bypass after his release.
Teargas was used to disperse the crowd and in the process, one journalist, Christine Nabatanzi, was injured in the leg reportedly by a rubber bullet.
Mao is jointly charged with Kenneth Paul Kakande, John Mary Sebuwufu, Kamya Kasozi, Moses Bigirwa, Elvis Kintu and Taddeo Kalule.
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