Former Prime Minister and Go-forward Presidential Candidate Rt. Hon. Amama Mbabazi has pointed fingers at the Police force for masterminding the raids on the chambers of his two lawyers handling the election petition he filed in the Supreme Court challenging President Museveni’s Feb.18 Victory. Yet to be identified assailants broke into Muhammad Mbabazi’s Chambers (lead lawyer) of Muhammad Mbabazi & Co. Advocates located along Buganda Road at around 1am on Wednesday and vanished with a laptop, several files, Desk Top computer and office keys.
According an eye witness who spoke to the Press revealed that he noticed a lot of suspicious activity a few meters away from the Muhammad Mbabazi’s chambers at around 8pm. Asuman Basalirwa a lawyer also on Mbabazi’s legal team revealed that on Tuesday the area had a rare presence of security personnel who were trailing their witnesses after they had recorded statements in their chambers.
Though the building has no CCTV Cameras is connected to security sensors which detected an illegal entry. A seemingly disappointed Muhammad Mbabazi declined to report the incidence to Wandegeya police which is just a stone throw away from the chambers.
Why should I report the matter and yet according to eyewitnesses police were seen around our office premises. They broke and took away whatever they wanted, Muhammad Mbabazi told the press.
In related development Fred Muwema of Muwema and Co. Advocates also a lawyer on Mbabazi’s legal team had his chambers broken into and the unknown assailants smartly walked away with vital documents related to the Supreme Court petition.
Our chambers located in Kololo were broken into and a couple of vital files related to the petition are now missing. Two computers belonging to our secretaries, two laptops belonging to our lawyers and files with over 200 affidavits were lost, Muwema said. Adding that the incident is a big setback in their Petition as most of the affidavits stolen were already signed and waiting to be filed with the Supreme Court before closure of business today.
He added:
We hope Court will understand our case and make some adjustments in the timetable. The lost affidavits were collected from all-over the country. It’s not a simple task. We can try to look for backups but when it comes to already signed documents, it’s an uphill task.
Speaking during a press conference that was organized at the Go-Forward Secretariat in Nakawa over the incidence Amama Mbabazi categorically blamed the police for raiding the chambers of his two lawyers and vanishing with vital documents and pieces of evidence connected to the Supreme Court petition.
The state is to blame because eyewitnesses’ people dressed in police uniforms were seen around the area. Several files, computers and laptops were carried away and we have no idea where they are. The incident is going to affect the progress of the petition because we had prepared affidavits to be presented in court, Mbabazi told Journalists.
He continued:
Some of my witnesses are being arrested. A one Dominic Tibasimwa in Kamwenge district was arrested because he had evidence.
However the Uganda Police Director for Interpol and International Relations AIGP Asan Kasingye dismissed the allegations as false that police had a hand in the raid.
It’s not helpful at this stage for anybody to start insinuating that police broke into the chambers of Mbabazi lawyers and carried away a couple of files. We as police cannot do that and those spreading the allegations that police raided the office premises and is arresting Mbabazi’s witnesses are just tarnishing our (Police) Image because the allegations are completely false. IGP Kayihura has instituted an investigations team into the incident that will be headed by the Commander of Special Investigations Unit division in the Police Force Mark Odong, Kasingye said.
Meanwhile Makerere University Law Dons have filed an application in the Supreme Court as “friends of court” to join the election petition challenging President Museveni’s victory.
The law allows a person to apply to the Supreme Court; we shall provide independent and balanced expertise. We decided to come in because we teach the law and we’ve seen so many gaps in the judicial decisions which we need to seriously look at, Christopher Mbaziira said.
The Makerere Law Dons include Dr. Busingye Kabumba, Prof. Oloka Onyango, Dr. Christopher Mbaziira.
