Kyadondo East County MP Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu (Bobi Wine) was on Thursday afternoon rearrested and charged at Chief Magistrates Court with treason a few minutes after General Court Martial sitting in Gulu dropped charges.
During the sitting, Chairperson of the Court Martial Lt Gen Andrew Gutti earlier on ruled that Bobi Wine is set free unless he is being held for other charges.
“This court agrees that it will be a double jeopardy to try Hon Kyagulanyi. This court therefore pronounces itself that continuing to try the accused yet he has charges in another court will cause injustice to the accused. We terminate proceeding against Hon Kyagulanyi and accordingly set him free unless he is being held for other charges,” Gutti said.
As soon as he was set free, CIID director, Grace Akullo who was in court ordered for the re-arrest of Bobi Wine where he was straight away driven to Gulu Chief Magistrates Court to be tried for other charges in the civilian court. He was gently arrested in help of fellow MPs who led him in crutches to a waiting Police Land Cruiser car where he was accompanied by his wife.
At the Gulu Chief Magistrates Court, Bobi Wine was charged with treason and remanded up to August 30 when other MPs Paul Mwiru (Jinja East), Gerald Karuhanga (Ntungamo Municipality), Kasiano Wadri (Arua Municipality), Michael Mabikke earlier on charged with similar charges will return to court.
Prosecution alleges that Bobi Wine together with others on August 13 at Arua Municipality and other places within Uganda with intent to do harm to the person of president of Uganda intentionally unlawfully threw stones and smashed the rear windscreen of the presidential car.
“The charge [of treason] is of capital nature and this court has no jurisdiction but to remand you to another court,” Magistrate Francis Matenga Dawa ruled.
Magistrate Matenga also ruled that Bobi Wine and others should be allowed to access private doctors and seek better treatment wherever they deem fit.
“The accused person [Bobi Wine] and others in similar condition should be allowed to access their private doctors as of when and those who can’t afford personal doctors the state should provide the best treatment to them,” he said.
He has been in detention since 15 August, badly beaten n brutalized by the military both during arrest and detention. He has not received treatment except painkiller. It’s our prayer that considering his state of health, he will be remanded in the hospital where he can receive treatment. We do not object him being guarded by prison officers while receiving treatment bse it’s a matter of urgency which he can’t receive while in prison.
Fairness requires you try a person who is alive n he is able to defend himself physically and mentally. He is tortured n that renders the trial an anomaly.
