Police probe Sebalu's death, daughter suspects foul play

Mar 07, 2014

Police are investigating circumstances under which a city lawyer, Paulo Sebalu, died.

By Chris Kiwawulo 
                         
Police are investigating circumstances under which a city lawyer, Paulo Sebalu, died.


This after his daughter, Themi Sebalu Nakibuuka, lodged a complaint saying she suspects foul play.

Sources revealed that Police have opened up a General Enquiries File number 03/2013 and the case is being handled by the homicide section of the Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (CIID) at Kibuli.

The file was opened after Nakibuuka late last year asked cops to investigate the circumstances surrounding her father’s death, arguing that “he could have been murdered.”

Sebalu, a senior lawyer and one of the proprietors of Sebalu and Lule advocates died on November 8, 2013 at the age of 88.

The CIID director, Grace Akullo, has confirmed that Nakibuuka had lodged a complaint with them, adding that; “investigations are ongoing.”

“She made a number of allegations which my officers are going to investigate so as to verify their truthfulness,” Akullo told New Vision.

Among allegations being investigated are reports that Peter Sematimba, whom Nakibuuka is accusing of fraudulently transferring her father’s property into his name, acted suspiciously after Sebalu’s death. Using a court order, Nakibuuka on Wednesday threw Sematimba out of Sebalu’s Muyenga Club which he had taken up.

In her statement, Nakibuuka claimed the family and friends had hired an ambulance to take Sebalu’s body to Mulago hospital for a postmortem with the help of a family doctor (name withheld), but Sematimba rejected their plans.

She also told Police that Sematimba instead took Sebalu’s body from his home in Muyenga at 8:00pm on November 8, 2013 to an unknown place only to produce it at Mulago the following day (November 9, 2013) when it was already treated.

Sources revealed that detectives have since interrogated Sematimba over the allegations and he is yet to appear again. Sematimba was Sebalu’s nephew; implying that Sematimba is Nakibuuka’s cousin.

Akullo confirmed that Nakibuuka had reported the allegations, adding that they would also interrogate doctors who received Sebalu’s body at Mulago hospital to verify her claims.

When contacted for a comment about the allegations leveled against him, Sematimba told New Vision; “I am sorry I am not talking to the media about my life and I am grateful that you respect that.”

Nakibuuka, the only surviving biological child of the late Sebalu, evicted Sematimba out of her late father’s property in Muyenga, a city suburb. Nakibuuka threw Sematimba out of Muyenga Club into which he (Sematimba) had denied her access.

Sematimba had changed the name of Muyenga Club into Muyenga Resort Hotel. Documents show that Sematimba together with Juliet Nambi Nantongo were the directors of Muyenga Resort Hotel while Charles Ssemakula was the company secretary.

Earlier in February, Nakibuuka filed a case in court accusing Sematimba of fraudulently transferring her father’s land in Muyenga and Kyaggwe into his name.

She sued Sematimba jointly with the commissioner for land registration, Sarah Kulata, who she accuses of aiding the alleged fraudulent transfer of the land.                 
 

 

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