Minister Kabafunzaki trial pushed to Monday

The trial of the embattled state Minister for Labour Hebert Kabafunzaki has been pushed to Monday.

On Thursday, his trial failed to take off because his lawyer MacDosman Kabega was not in court.

Kabafunzaki, who is on bail told the Anti-Corruption Court, presided over by High Court judge Margret Tibulya that his lawyer was appearing before the Principal Judge Yorokamu Bamwine in plea-bargaining criminal proceedings.

This prompted the Judge to adjourn the case to Monday (August, 14, 2017) when the hearing would start.

At about 9:00am Kabafunzaki clad in a blue suit and a white shirt with a yellow necktie arrived in court aboard a green Toyota land cruiser which has a private number plate ‘BERTEEN 1'.

Kabafunzaki, his political assistant Brian Mugabo and a one Bruce Lubowa are accused of soliciting and obtained money from AYA Group chief executive officer Mohammed Hamid in exchange to have his (Hamid) name cleared.

Prosecution alleges that Kabafunzaki also the Rukiga County MP and his co-accused solicited and received a sh5m bribe from Hamid to kill a sexual assault case against him (Hamid).

Prosecution further alleges that Kabafunzaki's co-accused Lubowa and Hamid met at Aya Hotel on April 8, and also negotiated a lawyer's legal fee of sh3m.