Petition Hearing Starts

Apr 02, 2001

Hearing of Col. Kizza Besigye's petition opens at the Supreme Court today.

By vision reporters Hearing of Col. Kizza Besigye's petition opens at the Supreme Court today. The court will sit at the High Court premises in Kampala. Besigye has challenged the results of the March 12 presidential elections which President Museveni won with 69.3%. Preliminary matters are expected to dominate proceedings of the first two days before hearing of the main petition begins on Thursday. Matters to be considered today include the demand by Besigye's lawyers that the voters register be provided. Balikuddembe will also request the court to order Museveni to admit certain facts. The Justices on the coram are Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki, Arthur Oder, Alfred Karokora, John Tsekooko, Joseph Mulenga and Prof. George Kanyeihamba. One Justice, who is expected to be announced today, will be on standby, the Registrar of the Supreme Court, Masalu Musene, told The New Vision last evening. President-elect Yoweri Museveni and the Electoral Commission (EC) are respondents in the petition. All parties in the case met yesterday in the Solicitor General Peter Kabatsi's chambers to agree on preliminary issues. The meeting was attended by Dr. Joseph Byamugisha, Museveni's lead counsel, his deputy from Kenya, Dr. John Kaminwa, Sam Bitangaro and William Byaruhanga. On Besigye's side will be Joseph Balikuddembe, Mohamed Mbabazi, Yusufu Nsibambi, Peter Walubiri and Elly Karuhanga. On the EC's side are Solicitor General Peter Kabatsi, Deus Byamugisha, acting director of civil litigation and Cheborion Barishaki, the commissioner for civil litigation. Kabatsi said the meeting concentrated on categorisation of issues. He said they agreed on most of the issues, and that court would hear only two preliminary issues which they failed to agree on. He did not say what the issues were. He said preliminary issues that were discussed included the issue of time to determine whether court should sit continuously, including on Sundays. He said they also discussed when sittings would end each day in case the court sat beyond the official time of 5:00pm. He said the meeting also discussed the number of witnesses to present. "We are interested in an expeditious and smooth trial," he said. James Wapakhabulo, a member of Museveni's coordination committee, yesterday said the defence team was still getting affidavits from upcountry to counter Besigye's. Ends

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