Magara murder prime suspect still wanted

COURT|MURDER|CRIME|POLICE 

KAMPALA - Buganda Road Chief Magistrates' Court has extended the arrest warrant against businessman Patrick Kashaija aka Pato in connection with the murder of Susan Magara.

Pato was extradited from South Africa in May last year to answer the murder charges, but the Police have never presented him in court, which issued the arrest warrant for him in February 2018.

Last month, Chief Magistrate Miriam Ayo Akello extended the arrest warrant against Pato and pushed the case to December.

A state prosecutor in the matter said the file has since been returned to the Police.

Reasons for failure by the Police to produce Pato in court remain unknown as the force's spokesperson Fred Enanga declined to comment on the matter.

According to Police records, Pato was tracked down after security reviewed the telephone conversations between him and the Magara family members.

The Police also recorded fresh statements from some of the family members believed to have been holding key information.

Pato allegedly possessed two passports - number B0661869 in the names of Agaba Patrick and Number B1177225 in the names of Kasaija Patrick.

The Police said the behaviour of Pato during the kidnap ordeal of Susan was enough to create suspicion of his involvement in the heinous crime.

Upon his extradition, Pato was charged with attempted kidnap of Joan Alupo Cora, with the intent to obtain a ransom from her relatives.

He was later released on bail by High Court judge Yasin Nyanzi on July 30, 2019. Alupo's case is also yet to be heard.

Susan, 28, the daughter of businessman John Magara, was kidnapped on February 7, 2018, as she drove to her home in Lungujja, Rubaga division.

She was an accountant at her father's Bwendero Dairy Farm. Court documents indicate that she was killed on February 27, 2018, and her body dumped at Kitiko, Kigo in Wakiso district.

Susan was held hostage for over 20 days and at the time of her murder, her killers are said to have contacted her family and demanded $1m (about sh3.65b) to secure her release.

It is said her killers recorded her stay at a hideout where she was subjected to torture, including chopping off her fingers.

It is alleged that they mutilated fingers and a video recording of the incident to the family.

At the time of her murder, Susan's family is said to have paid ransom money believed to be over sh700m to the killers.

In Kampala, several other people were arrested over the murder.

They are Hajara Nakandi, Mahad Kasalita (the imam of Usafi Mosque in Kisenyi), Yusuf Lubega, Hussein Wasswa, Muzamiru Ssali, Haj Abubaker Kyewolwa, Hassan Kato Miiro, Ismail Bukenya and Musa Buvumbo.

The group is still on remand pending trial. The group was arrested in April 2018 following a joint security raid on a makeshift mosque in Kisenyi, Kampala.

It is alleged that the accused and others still at large on February 7, 2018, kidnapped Susan with intent to procure a ransom but instead murdered her on February 27, 2018.