Kizza Besigye defies police summon
Apr 13, 2010
FORUM for Democratic Change (FDC) President Kizza Besigye yesterday snubbed Police summons and instead dispatched a letter offering to appear at a later date.
By Steven Candia
FORUM for Democratic Change (FDC) President Kizza Besigye yesterday snubbed Police summons and instead dispatched a letter offering to appear at a later date.
In the letter, Besigye cited a tight schedule due to the current party campaigns as the reason for his inability to appear. He pledged to report on April 27.
However, the Police scoffed at the letter and insisted that Besigye must appear. “We are waiting for him until 5:00pm and if he does not turn up, the law will take its course,†said deputy spokesperson Vincent Sekate.
Besigye’s lawyer, Yusuf Nsibambi, who delivered the letter in the morning, warned that any adverse move by the Police will be countered.
“We will deal with it politically, legally and otherwise,†a tough-talking Nsibambi said, adding that the FDC president was currently busy with party politics.
“Besigye is a party president and not an ordinary chicken thief. He will not run away and so he will come when he is prepared,†he said.
Besigye in his letter said he was a candidate in his party’s primary elections which will take place on April 15.
He also pointed out that the charges included utterances he allegedly made in different places. These, he argued, necessitate him to go through the documents, including recordings, to “appropriately answer or make an informed statementâ€.
He further expressed concern about ‘leakages’ to the media of his summons, which he attributed to President Yoweri Museveni.
“I hope that these inquiries are not furthering his thinking on the matter to orchestrate persecution to satisfy an individual,†he said, requesting the Police to act professionally.
By 5:00pm yesterday, Besigye had not reported at the CID headquarters. The Police said it was contemplating sending the file to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
“We may have to send the file in its current state to the DPP and wait for his advice,†Sekate said, without elaborating what would be the implications.
The Police summoned Besigye to appear at the CID headquarters at 10:00am yesterday in connection with his recent remarks, which the Police said were inciting and inflammatory.
They referred to statements he made that the Government had leased parts of Lake Kyoga to a foreign investor.
They also alleged that he urged his audience in West Nile to break the thumbs of NRM supporters should they flash their thumbs-up symbol in public.
This is not the first time Besigye runs into trouble with the Police. In 2001, he was briefly detained and questioned in connection with treason. He fled to South Africa, claiming his life was in danger.
In October 2005, Besigye returned to Uganda from South Africa but was arrested a month later and charged with treason, concealment of treason and rape in addition to terrorism. The case of treason included his alleged links with two rebel groups, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the People’s Redemption Army (PRA).
Besigye went to the Constitutional Court challenging his trial, both in the High Court and the Court Martial. The cases are still pending.
The rape charge referred to an alleged incident in November 1997 involving the daughter of a friend. But the High Court dismissed the rape charges.
FORUM for Democratic Change (FDC) President Kizza Besigye yesterday snubbed Police summons and instead dispatched a letter offering to appear at a later date.
In the letter, Besigye cited a tight schedule due to the current party campaigns as the reason for his inability to appear. He pledged to report on April 27.
However, the Police scoffed at the letter and insisted that Besigye must appear. “We are waiting for him until 5:00pm and if he does not turn up, the law will take its course,†said deputy spokesperson Vincent Sekate.
Besigye’s lawyer, Yusuf Nsibambi, who delivered the letter in the morning, warned that any adverse move by the Police will be countered.
“We will deal with it politically, legally and otherwise,†a tough-talking Nsibambi said, adding that the FDC president was currently busy with party politics.
“Besigye is a party president and not an ordinary chicken thief. He will not run away and so he will come when he is prepared,†he said.
Besigye in his letter said he was a candidate in his party’s primary elections which will take place on April 15.
He also pointed out that the charges included utterances he allegedly made in different places. These, he argued, necessitate him to go through the documents, including recordings, to “appropriately answer or make an informed statementâ€.
He further expressed concern about ‘leakages’ to the media of his summons, which he attributed to President Yoweri Museveni.
“I hope that these inquiries are not furthering his thinking on the matter to orchestrate persecution to satisfy an individual,†he said, requesting the Police to act professionally.
By 5:00pm yesterday, Besigye had not reported at the CID headquarters. The Police said it was contemplating sending the file to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
“We may have to send the file in its current state to the DPP and wait for his advice,†Sekate said, without elaborating what would be the implications.
The Police summoned Besigye to appear at the CID headquarters at 10:00am yesterday in connection with his recent remarks, which the Police said were inciting and inflammatory.
They referred to statements he made that the Government had leased parts of Lake Kyoga to a foreign investor.
They also alleged that he urged his audience in West Nile to break the thumbs of NRM supporters should they flash their thumbs-up symbol in public.
This is not the first time Besigye runs into trouble with the Police. In 2001, he was briefly detained and questioned in connection with treason. He fled to South Africa, claiming his life was in danger.
In October 2005, Besigye returned to Uganda from South Africa but was arrested a month later and charged with treason, concealment of treason and rape in addition to terrorism. The case of treason included his alleged links with two rebel groups, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the People’s Redemption Army (PRA).
Besigye went to the Constitutional Court challenging his trial, both in the High Court and the Court Martial. The cases are still pending.
The rape charge referred to an alleged incident in November 1997 involving the daughter of a friend. But the High Court dismissed the rape charges.