Police prefer treason charges against Zaake

Mityana Municpality MP Francis Zaake with his lawyer Nicholas opio(R) at Kibuli CID headquarters on  December 03, 2018. Photo by Ashraf Kasirye

SECURITY|POLITICS

Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake was grilled for over eight hours by Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) officers at Kibuli in Kampala over allegations of treason and escaping from police custody. 

The Police then took a statement from the legislator regarding the allegations.

The allegations stem from an incident during which President Yoweri Museveni's motorcade was reportedly pelted with stones as he (Museveni) left Arua town after campaigning for his party candidate, Nusura Tiperi, in the Arua Municipality byelections in August. 

Zaake reported at CID headquarters in compliance with the police summons he had received a week earlier but failed to show up.

On arrival on Monday, Zaake, who was accompanied by a number of MPs and other relatives, told journalists that he was not ‘feeling well' and thus couldn't get time to report to police when he was summoned a week ago.

He also went to the police along with his lawyers Nicholas Opio and Wilfred Niwagaba of Ndorwa East.

"My statement remains the same. Simple and precise. I was picked from a hotel, beaten and subjected to all unimaginable forms of torture to the extent of losing consciousness, by the time I regained my senses, I was lying at Rubaga hospital," Zaake told journalists on arrival at Kibuli.

He was then led to one office after another, until 07:00pm when he was granted police bond and asked to return on Wednesday for further interrogation.

Niwagaba said, police preferred charges of treason and escape from police custody against Zaake. But he noted that Zaake denied all the charges and intends to deny them at all levels of prosecution.

"They had also prepared a file in which my client is the complainant, which indicates that he was tortured but we rejected it because Zaake has to file a complaint by himself, which he will do," Niwagaba added.

Zaake is among the other 34 suspects who were arrested in August for allegedly stoning President Yoweri Museveni's motorcade during the Arua municipality byelection.

In the chaos, Bobi Wine's driver Yasin Kawuma was shot dead and the security operatives claimed that it was a stray bullet.

After a few days of disappearance, Zaake was found at Lubaga Hospital in Kampala, while police claim he escaped from police custody in Gulu, he insists that he wasn't aware of the people who dumped him at Rubaga hospital.

Police released a statement indicating that Zaake had escaped from Arua regional referral hospital. While at Rubaga hospital, Zaake wanted to go on a medical trip in India, but he was blocked by government requiring him to be examined by government doctors.

A few days later he attempted to travel but he was intercepted at Entebbe airport, and taken to Kiruddu hospital where he was later examined and allowed to travel.

Zaake told journalists that he intends to continue pestering government to provide answers about the torture he was allegedly subjected to while in detention in Gulu and how he ended up at Rubaga hospital.

In his statement on the scuffle, Museveni accused opposition leaders including Kassiano Wadri, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine) of having been behind the stoning of his motorcade.

"The stones they threw broke the rear glass window of the car where we transport luggage. That window glass is not armored. There was no harm on the old man with a hat," he said in a statement.

"It is a big shame to have such confused people who want to use violence to intimidate Ugandans. Nobody has a right to intimidate any Ugandan by word or action."