Mumbere's Case hearing pushed to 12th January

Jinja Magistrates Court has has adjourned hearing into the Rwenzururu king Charles Wesley Mumbere treason charges to January. The presiding magistrate further remanded Mumbere and his co-accused to 12th January 2017.

Charles Wesley Mumbere, together with the Kingdom's Prime Minister Johnson Thembo and the royal guards were presented in a fully packed court room in Jinja.

They expected to hear whether they were to be committed to High court which has jurisdiction over treason and other capital offenses.

Prosecution told court magistrate John Francis Kaggwa that it was still carrying out investigations and gathering more evidence against the suspects.

Prosecution alleges that Mumbere and his co-accused persons, between March and November 2016, at diverse places within Kabarole and Kasese districts arranged a plot to overturn the government of Uganda by use of arms.

The new charge-sheet indicates that the accused persons expressed the plot through attacks on various police establishments, killing of police officers, robbing arms and ammunition and recruitment of individuals to join in an armed insurrection against government.

They are also accused of providing and participating in military training of recruits in preparation of an armed insurrection to overthrow the government of Uganda, acquisition of  communication equipment such as walk-talkies and  attending meetings within Uganda and abroad in an attempt to acquire arms and ammunition.

Prosecution told court that Mumbere and co-accused with purposes of intimidating members of the public for political, social, religious or economic reasons and without due regard for safety of others, attacked Kidodo police booth where they robbed an AK -47 gun with 30 rounds of ammunition.

Prosecution added that during the same raid, the attackers used pangas and knives to kill a police officer identified as Godfrey Kasimba, on top of attempting to take the lives of eight other police officers.

Mumbere and his guards were arrested on November 27 following UPDF-led operations in Rwenzori region that culminated into the attack on the Palace of Obusinga bwa Rwenzururu.

The army was searching for persons suspected to be involved in attacks in Rwenzori region. Most of these were Royal Guards in the Kingdom of Rwenzururu.

Caleb Alaka, the lawyer representing Mumbere and other suspects told court that the suspects are detained in crowded cell sharing blankets.  He  said some of the suspects sleep without blankets.

He also questioned the prosecution over thirteen suspects whom he said have never been  been produced in court.

Some of the suspects who had appeared in the previous court session with open wounds were today bandaged.

-URN