The Chief Justice Owinyi Dolo has denied allegations that he and president Museveni had agreed to scrap bail provisions from the constitution.
In a statement released by the Judiciary on Friday, the Judiciary noted with concern the misleading social media reports alleging that an agreement has been reached between President Yoweri Museveni and the Chief Justice to remove applications for bail.
“We would like to inform and reassure members of the public that no such position has been reached at all. The information circulating on social media should be disregarded because it is false,”
the judiciary said in a statement.
Mid this year, President Museveni resurrected his decate-debate of scrapping bail for capital offenders especially on murder and treason charges.
Following the arrest of Makindye East MP Allan Ssewanyana and Kawempe South MP Muhammed ssegirinya who were both accused of terrorism and murder, Museveni revisited his debate about the subject on several occasions.
When the duo of MPs were released,they were still rearrested as they left Kigo Prison where they had been held for days.
Last month, MP Ssegirinya was granted bail on other charges of incitement of violence and offensive communication at Buganda Road Court.
Several attempts to have the two MPs released have all been in vain.
The right to apply for bail is one of the fundamental human right guaranteed by Article 23 (6) of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda. Its basis is found in Article 28 of the same Constitution which states that an accused person is presumed innocent until he/she is proven or pleads guilty.
In the statement today, the court is on a high level discussion about the matter of removing bail for capital offenders, the process of developing bail guidelines for all courts commenced long before the current-public debate on bail started.
“It is important to note that the process is still ongoing with the next phase being consultation with various stakeholders in the justice system.”
the statement reads in part
Article 133(1) (b) of the constitution of the republic of Uganda empowers the Chief Justice as head of the Judiciary to issue orders and directions to the courts necessary for the proper and efficient administration of justice.
“The removal of applications for bail is clearly not one of the objectives of the upcoming guidelines,”
the judiciary stated in their statement.
