The General Court Martial has suspended the trial of former coordinator of Intelligence Services Gen David Sejusa following orders of the High Court.
However, the army court will continue to keep him jail until he applies and gets bail from the High Court’s Criminal Division.
On March 14, Justice Margaret Oguli Oumo ordered the General Court Martial at Makindye in Kampala to stop Gen Sejusa’s trial until determination of his petition in the High Court whether he is still a serving army officer or not. The judge also advised Gen Sejusa to apply for bail in the High Court.
“The proceedings in this matter are hereby suspended. But the accused will stay on remand as per the order because this court respects the order,” the military court’s chairman Maj Gen Levi Karuhanga, ruled. He rejected the application by Gen Sejusa’s lawyers to release the accused unconditionally.
Maj Gen Karuhanga remanded him to Luzira Prison until March 31.
Mr David Mushabe, one of Gen Sejusa’s lawyers, told the military court that the application in the High Court on whether Gen Sejusa is a retired or serving army officer had been fixed for hearing on April 5 and the hearing of the application for bail was set for April 1.
Gen Sejusa petitioned the High Court seeking a declaration that he was constructively retired from the army and therefore no longer subject to martial law.
He is charged with participating in partisan politics, absconding from duty and insubordination, contrary to the military law.
The prosecution states that on November 4, 2015, when Dr Kizza Besigye was nominated as presidential candidate for the Forum for Democratic Change, Gen Sejusa, a senior army officer, attended his rally at Nakivubo Stadium in Kampala, addressed the public and canvassed support for the Opposition candidate, contrary the Political Parties and Organisations Act.
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