KAMPALA, UGANDA: Police in Kampala has arrested controversial city lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi to start serving 18 months in jail for contempt of court.
Kampala Metropolitan Polie Deputy Spokesperson, ASP Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed the report on Monday afternoon saying Mabirizi who was arrested at the Kyambogo University gate in Banda is currently in detention at Jinja Road Police station.
“Yes, he is at Jinja road Police station before being taken to Kitalya. He was arrested from Kyambogo University Banda gate following the warrant of arrest issued against him,” said Owoyesigyire.
Owoyesigyire added that he (Mabirizi) will stay at the station as he awaits to be taken to Kitalya as ordered by Court to start his 18 months jail term.
The High Court Civil Division Judge Musa Ssekaana a week ago issued an arrest warrant directing every Police officer in Uganda to arrest the controversial city lawyer upon sight and be taken to Kitalya Mini Max Prison to serve an 18 months punishment for continued attack of judicial officers.
“Whereas Male Mabirizi has been found liable in contempt of a court order, this is to command you to arrest and deliver the said person to prison mentioned in the committal warrant with immediate effect,” the arrest warrant issued by the High Court on February 15 read in part.
Recently, the court ordered Mabirizi to pay a fine of shs300 million over contempt of court and continued attacks against judicial officers.
Justice Ssekaana last week said Mabirizi has never presented himself nor filed any affidavits to defend himself over the accusations despite being summoned over the same. This, according to the judge left them with the only option of sending him to prison.
“Mabirizi never presented himself to court after being summoned and neither did he file affidavits to deny the allegations against him. Court has been left with no option but to order for his arrest on sight and be taken to prison for 18 months,” Ssekaana ruled.
However, since last week, the lawyer has been in hiding since the order for his arrest and imprisonment was made last week.
Mabirizi on Monday morning posted through his socials claiming he was in his seventh day of hiding, despite having earlier said that hiding is not cowardice but rather it is his constitutional right.
His eventual arrest comes just one day towards the hearing of Mabirizi’s application seeking to stay execution of all orders issued by Justice Ssekaana against him including his conviction and subsequent sentencing to prison.
It is expected to be heard tomorrow before Court of Appeal Justice Christopher Izama Madrama and all parties had already put in submissions to the application. Mabirizi had also petitioned the Principal Judge Dr. Flavian Zeija to allocate other pending cases of his at the Civil Division of the High Court to a different Judge other than Ssekaana but he was yet to get feedback from the Principal Judge.
The pending applications at the Civil Division sought to set aside orders of Ssekaana for having been issued without granting Mabirizi a right to fair hearing.
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