Obua faces arrest
Feb 10, 2005
FORMER FUFA president Denis Obua and his general secretary Haruna Mawanda failed to appear in court yesterday to answer charges of embezzlement and causing a sh116m loss to the soccer organisation
FORMER FUFA president Denis Obua and his general secretary Haruna Mawanda failed to appear in court yesterday to answer charges of embezzlement and causing a sh116m loss to the soccer organisation, reports Jude Etyang.
Their lawyer, Patrick Furah, said their clients were not summoned in time. He said he received the summons on Tuesday evening. He said Mawanda was upcountry while Obua was in Busia and would not be in town till Sunday.
Magistrate John Kaggwa extended the summons to February 21 and warned of Obua and Mawanda’s arrest if they did not turn up.
Furah asked for “enough†time for his clients to appear in court. But prosecutor Fred Muwema said Obua and Mawanda deliberately refused to turn up. He said they had dodged him until yesterday morning when he delivered the summons to them.
Second defence lawyer Tadeo Asiimwe, however, said their clients were ready to account for the sh116m. “I explained the charges to them. They agreed to account,†he said.
The courtroom was packed with football fans led by Aldrine Nsubuga. They expected Obua and Mawanda to be remanded in prison. Asiimwe failed to convince the court to halt the case until his request to the DPP to take over the prosecution from SOS lawyers was decided. “This is a malicious move to have them charged without hearing their side,†he said.
Their lawyer, Patrick Furah, said their clients were not summoned in time. He said he received the summons on Tuesday evening. He said Mawanda was upcountry while Obua was in Busia and would not be in town till Sunday.
Magistrate John Kaggwa extended the summons to February 21 and warned of Obua and Mawanda’s arrest if they did not turn up.
Furah asked for “enough†time for his clients to appear in court. But prosecutor Fred Muwema said Obua and Mawanda deliberately refused to turn up. He said they had dodged him until yesterday morning when he delivered the summons to them.
Second defence lawyer Tadeo Asiimwe, however, said their clients were ready to account for the sh116m. “I explained the charges to them. They agreed to account,†he said.
The courtroom was packed with football fans led by Aldrine Nsubuga. They expected Obua and Mawanda to be remanded in prison. Asiimwe failed to convince the court to halt the case until his request to the DPP to take over the prosecution from SOS lawyers was decided. “This is a malicious move to have them charged without hearing their side,†he said.