Karamoja murder case lawyer pulls out
Aug 10, 2011
A lawyer last Friday pulled out of a murder case, citing an attack on his character by a High Court judge in Moroto district.
By Olandason Wanyama
A lawyer last Friday pulled out of a murder case, citing an attack on his character by a High Court judge in Moroto district.
Dr. Oboth Okumu withdrew from a case after Lady Justice Margret Oguli Oumo overruled his argument, saying he was using diversionary tactics to delay justice.
“There must be decency in dispensing justice so that the aggrieved and the accused families are satisfied with the court,†Oumo said.
Oumo added that court would not accept issues that derailed trials.
Feeling offended and wiping his face, Okumu asked the judge never to apply such words to his character.
“My Lord, I have been practising the law all over the world but I have never been attacked in such a way,†he said.
“Whenever I go to court, I do not go there to divert justice but fight for it,†Okumu explained.
He said if a judge accused the counsel, then the best the counsel could do was to withdraw from the case.
He was representing Joseph Aurien who is charged with shooting dead Paul Kapel, a UPDF soldier in Napak district.
The murder was committed on January 23, 2009 at Kokeris village on the Moroto-Soroti road.
During the hearing of the case, Okumu argued that the post-mortem report was not genuine.
“We cannot continue with a post-mortem report that lacks information,†he noted, adding that many sections were blank.
“I would like to say prosecution proceeds with the trial but the case be dismissed,†he asked.
However, the resident state prosecutor, Isaiah Wanamama, shot back, saying proof of death did not require a post-mortem report.
“The fact is that the man died this is what is indicated in the report,†he said, adding that court was looking for the killer.
After a reasonable time of silence, Okumu stood up and asked court to allow him to pull out of the case and asked the judge not to use words that belittled his profession.
On Tuesday, Okumu had also withdrawn from a case in which Joseph Korobe was charged with murdering his wife.
The murder is said to have taken place at Lotome sub-county, Napak district in 2009.
A lawyer last Friday pulled out of a murder case, citing an attack on his character by a High Court judge in Moroto district.
Dr. Oboth Okumu withdrew from a case after Lady Justice Margret Oguli Oumo overruled his argument, saying he was using diversionary tactics to delay justice.
“There must be decency in dispensing justice so that the aggrieved and the accused families are satisfied with the court,†Oumo said.
Oumo added that court would not accept issues that derailed trials.
Feeling offended and wiping his face, Okumu asked the judge never to apply such words to his character.
“My Lord, I have been practising the law all over the world but I have never been attacked in such a way,†he said.
“Whenever I go to court, I do not go there to divert justice but fight for it,†Okumu explained.
He said if a judge accused the counsel, then the best the counsel could do was to withdraw from the case.
He was representing Joseph Aurien who is charged with shooting dead Paul Kapel, a UPDF soldier in Napak district.
The murder was committed on January 23, 2009 at Kokeris village on the Moroto-Soroti road.
During the hearing of the case, Okumu argued that the post-mortem report was not genuine.
“We cannot continue with a post-mortem report that lacks information,†he noted, adding that many sections were blank.
“I would like to say prosecution proceeds with the trial but the case be dismissed,†he asked.
However, the resident state prosecutor, Isaiah Wanamama, shot back, saying proof of death did not require a post-mortem report.
“The fact is that the man died this is what is indicated in the report,†he said, adding that court was looking for the killer.
After a reasonable time of silence, Okumu stood up and asked court to allow him to pull out of the case and asked the judge not to use words that belittled his profession.
On Tuesday, Okumu had also withdrawn from a case in which Joseph Korobe was charged with murdering his wife.
The murder is said to have taken place at Lotome sub-county, Napak district in 2009.