Security tight as Mumbere bail application hearing starts

  • by Ignatius Liposhe
  • January 16, 2017
0musinga Mumbere

Security on Monday has been tightened at Jinja Chief Magistrates Court and Jinja town as jailed Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere appears before Jinja Chief Magistrates’ Court as he seeks to be release from prison, pending the hearing of the charges slapped against him after the November 27 raid of his palace in Kasese town.

The bail application is set to be heard by Jinja High Court Resident Judge Eva Luswata.

In his application before Court, the king, lists 10 grounds to support his bail application. He states that constitutionally, he is presumed innocent and that he intends not to plead guilty to all the charges which he says he strongly believes are false, fabricated and intended to embarrass the institution of his kingdom which he symbolises.

Mumbere, 64, is facing grave charges ranging from treason, terrorism, murder, aggravated robbery, attempted murder, to malicious damage to property that attract death by hanging on conviction apart from the last two charges.

READ: Why President Museveni is blocking investigations into Kasese killings

If the State is done with investigations, the Omusinga along with more than 163 of suspects whom he is jointly charged, will be sent to the High Court to stand trial.

However he is expected to be released after a number of people from the royal family, including former kingdom ministers, Rwenzururu veterans and royal guards met President Museveni on Friday at 8am and begged him to release Mumbere and to “let by bygones be bygones” in the interest of peace in Rwenzori Sub-region.

RELATED CONTENT: Another Mumbere royal guard mysteriously dies in in Jinja prison