Lutaya released after he agreed to pay 35.5M in court

By Sania Babirye

The Jinja high court judge Eva Luswata has set free journalist  Simon Muyanga Lutaya after signing an agreement that he will pay the remaining 35.5 million shillings  in court costs  within a period of 12 months after court reduced his debt by 100, 000 thousand shillings.

Lutaya was this week  sentenced to six months at Kirinya prison after he failed to clear the 57 million shillings in costs after losing an election petition at the high court and court of appeal.
However his lawyers led by Erias Lukwago who secured a production warrant from the Jinja High court on Thrsday to have him produced in court today, have informed court that his political opponent who is NRMs  Kenneth Lubogo produced a video on social media denying to have ordered for his arrest.
It was later revealed that Lubogo's former Lawyer Hassan Kamba  who is no longer representing him secured the warrant of arrest after Lutaya  failed to clear the total  costs by December 2017 after Lutaya managed to only pay six million shillings.
Meanwhile Lutaya's team has also added another 4.5 million shillings that was collected from the public and will clear the remaining balance within a period of one year.
The judge  removed the ten million shillings from the initial 57 million  awarded saying it was unnecessarily added.
Lutaya dragged Lubogo to the high court after he lost the seat for member of parliament for Bulamogi constituency.
However he lost the election petition at the high court on the 19th of August 2016 and on the 22nd of November, the court of appeal dismissed his appeal and ordered him to pay costs at both courts to his rival.