By Sania Babirye
The international crimes division of the high court will at 2 o'clock deliver its judgement in a case in which 14 people are charged with masterminding the murder of several Muslim clerics in the country.
All the 14 suspects have arrived at high court amidst tight security.
Security has also been Tightened at the court premises with anti terrorism police squad surrounding the court.
Relatives of the suspects have also come in large numbers to witness the scheduled judgement and have been subjected to maximum check up at court entries with only those having valid identification allowed inside the court premises.
On the 11th of July 2017 three court assessors Robert Lubega Sseguya, Judith Muhairwe and Muhammad Ddumba advised the the international crimes division of the high court to acquit all the accused due to lack of evidence. .
In their joint opinion read by Robert Sseguya Lubega, the assessors told the three justices led by justice Ezekiel Muhanguzi,Percey Tuhaise and Jane Kiggundu that prosecution had totally failed to prove beyond reason doubt the charges of murder, attempted murder, and terrorism against Sheikh Yonous Kamoga the leader of the tabliq sect and 13 others.
The trio told court that despite prosecution claiming that sheikh Mustapha Bahiga left a dying declaration implicating sheikh Kamoga as to have killed him, the doctor who worked on him before he passed away Dr.Emma Muwema in his testimony told court that he did not hear the late sheikh Bahiga utter sheikh Kamoga's name in his alleged dying declaration.
The assessors further told court that the accused led by sheikh Kamoga could also not have been behind the death of sheikh Hassan Kirya because by the time of his death all the accused where on remand .
The assessors also faulted prosecution for failing to bring before court alleged threatening messages which they claimed the two slain sheikhs receieved from some of the suspects before they were actually killed yet police had claimed to being in possession of such evidence.
The assessors observed that prosecution did not show how other suspects were linked to the murders giving them no option but to ask court to acquit them.
The assessors opinion however is not biding to the judges final judgement since they can choose to regard or disregard it.
The accused led by Sheikh Yunus Kamoga are charged with the murder of Sheikh Mustafa Bahiga at Bwebajja in December 2014 and Hassan Ibrahim Kirya at Bweyogerere on June 2015 after they were gunned down by unknown assailants.