Former Flying Squad commander, three others released on bail

Jan 21, 2020

The duo was released along with detective Assistant Superintendent of Police, James Magada and detective Corporal, Amon Kwarisima after spending two years on remand at Makindye Military Police barracks.

The suspects in the dock at Makindye. Photos by Douglas Mubiru

KAMPALA-The General Court Martial (GMC) in Makindye on Monday released on bail former Police Flying Squad Unit boss Herbert Muhangi and SCP Joel Aguma, also former Professional Standard Unit commander.

The duo was released along with detective Assistant Superintendent of Police, James Magada and detective Corporal, Amon Kwarisima after spending two years on remand at Makindye Military Police barracks.

The GCM sitting at Makindye, a Kampala suburb released the accused on a non-cash bail of sh10m after presenting substantial sureties in court.

Muhangi, 47, and his co-accused are battling charges of aiding the kidnap and illegal repatriation of Rwandan nationals with the former police chief, Gen. Kale Kayihura, who is also out on bail. Also out on bail is Col. Ndahura Atwooki Birakurataki, the former director crime intelligence.

The GCM chairman Lt.Gen Andrew Gutti unconfined the accused on bail saying the offences were bailable and they had fixed places of abode.

Court also observed that the accused produced sureties who were honorable members of parliament, hence substantial but ordered them to execute a non-cash bond of sh20m, each.

  MP Jimmy Akena (second right) and other relatives of the accused listening to court proceedings. Photo by Douglas Mubiru

 

MPs Jimmy Akena, Lira Municipality, Atim Ngomu, Woman MP, Lira and Felix Ogong, the Dokoro South MP is among the sureties who stood for SCP Aguma.

The court also put stringent terms for the accused and among them was not to move beyond Kampala and Wakiso districts and reporting to the GCM registrar after every 14 days in a month, on Wednesday.

"Breach of any of these bail terms leads to automatic cancellation of the bail and you should not at any point interfere with investigations," Gutti  said,

However, police officers SSP Nixon Agasirwe, 47, the former Police's Professional Standards Unit commandant, SSP Richard Ndaboine, 37, the former deputy commandant Special Operation's Unit are still on remand in regard to the same charges.

Upon leaving the dock, the accused and there sureties gathered outside court and had a six minutes prayer thanking God for having secured bail.

The charge

Prosecution led by Maj. Raphael Mugisha alleges that the accused unlawfully kidnapped Jackson Kalemera alias Ndinga and (Lieutenant) Joel Mutabazi and delivered them to Rwanda without there consent. Mutabazi was a former bodyguard of Rwandan President, Paul Kagame.

Prosecution states that on October 25, 2013, at Kamengo in Mpigi district along the Kampala-Masaka road, while in unlawful possession of firearms and grenades, ordinarily a monopoly of the Uganda People's Defence Forces, the accused persons conveyed Kalemera and Mutabazi to Rwanda

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