The High Court in Masaka has granted bail to Fr Deusdedit Ssekabira after more than three weeks of hearing submissions from both the defence and the prosecution.
Justice Victoria Nakintu Katamba delivered her ruling at about 2 pm following a lengthy hearing earlier in the day. During the proceedings, State Prosecutor Brian Kalinaki asked the court to return the case to the Chief Magistrate’s Court, arguing that Fr Ssekabira should first take a plea in the matter in which he is accused of laundering Shs500 million.
Kalinaki contended that the procedure used to bring Fr Ssekabira before the High Court was improper, noting that the Chief Magistrate’s Court had not committed the accused to the High Court for trial.
On January 27, the prosecution, led by Deborah Itwau, sought an adjournment to today’s date and assured the court that it would be ready to proceed with the hearing. At the time, Justice Katamba warned that if the prosecution appeared unprepared on the scheduled date, she would reconsider granting bail to Fr Ssekabira.
However, on Tuesday, the prosecution informed the court that the High Court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case and requested that it be referred back to the lower court.
Fr Ssekabira was allegedly abducted in Masaka District in December and held incommunicado for more than two weeks, triggering public outrage. The Catholic Church later issued a statement condemning what it described as injustice against the cleric.
At the time of his disappearance, both the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the police denied knowledge of his whereabouts.
