Court issues arrest warrant for Police officer
May 29, 2014
JUSTICE Henry Peter Adonyo of the Commercial Court has issued an arrest warrant against Detective Assistant Inspector of Police Martin Ariko allegedly for refusing to go to court and testify
By Hillary Nsambu
JUSTICE Henry Peter Adonyo of the Commercial Court has issued an arrest warrant against Detective Assistant Inspector of Police Martin Ariko allegedly for refusing to go to court and testify.
The court had been told that D/AIP Ariko investigated a case in which Boney Mwebesa Katatumba complains of forgery against Shukla Mukesh and the Commissioner Uganda Land Registry Sarah Basangwa Kulata.
The court issued the arrest warrant on Thursday afternoon following submissions by Katatumba’s lawyer Benson Tusasirwe that Katatumba had wanted the police to present to court the report about the investigations and the status of those investigations.
However, Tusasirwe told court that they had encountered difficulties in getting Ariko in court to state whether or not the investigations existed and their status.
Upon unavailability of the police investigating officer Ariko, the lawyer had sought an adjournment of the case for at least a week or so, to enable him secure into court the investigating officer for purposes of testify in that particular area of the case.
However, Andrew Kibaya and Kibuuka-Musoke, the lawyers representing Mukesh had strongly objected to the adjournment of the case on the ground that the application was intended to delay the conclusion of the matter.
The judge also observed that the case had stayed in the court for a long time, having been filed by Katatumba in 2009. Before he issued the arrest warrant, he asked Tusasirwe, who had insisted on the adjournment whether they would need the court’s assistance by way of an arrest warrant and; the lawyer agreed after consulting Katatumba, who sat right behind him.
According to the court record, Katatumba in 2013 complained to the Commandant Police Land Protection Unit against Shukla Mukesh and Sarah Kulata alleging that his signature on the transfer forms of his property including former Blacklines House in the city centre and Hotel Diplomate at Muyenga and others had been forged.
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