Social media tax: Bobi Wine trial pushed to next year

Dec 12, 2019

Bobi Wine is facing the charge of disobedience of statutory duty together with his brother, Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu and others.

SOCIAL MEDIA TAX

KAMPALA - The trial of Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi (better known as Bobi Wine) over disobedience of statutory duty in regard to the social media tax protest last year has been pushed to next year.

When the matter came up for hearing on Thursday, state attorney Barbra Kyomugisha told court presided over by Grade One Magistrate Esther Nahirya that some of the accused persons were not in court.

"This case is coming up for hearing and we have two witnesses in court.  However, some of the accused persons are not in court. We only got a communication from Bobi Wine that he is not in the country. We do not know what happened to the rest of the accused persons and we pray that criminal summons are issued for the rest of the accused," she submitted.

This prompted the magistrate to issue criminal summons against the rest of the accused and adjourned the matter until February 24 next year.

Bobi Wine is facing the charge of disobedience of statutory duty together with his brother, Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, his bodyguard Edward Sebufu alias Eddie Mutwe, David Lule and Julius Katongole.

They are battling the charges under Section 116 of the Penal Code Act (PCA). The offence attracts a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment on conviction.

The charge stems from his 2018 protests against social media and mobile money charges, introduced by the Government to raise the tax base.

The case
                                                                     
The prosecution alleges that the accused and others still at large on July 11, 2018, at Constitutional Square in Kampala, disobeyed provisions of the Public Order Management Act by holding a public meeting without giving notice to any authorised officer.

 It further alleges that the accused refused to coordinate and cooperate with police to ensure that all participants in the demonstration were unarmed and peaceful.



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