KAMPALA – The jailed former director crime intelligence in the Uganda Police Force Col. Atwooki Ndahura Birakurataki who was last week charged with interfering with the process of law is likely to face a jail term of 7 years after pleading guilty to the offence.
A person convicted of this offence is liable to imprisonment not exceeding seven years.
According to the court record that was on Monday July 2 afternoon presented by Ms Genevieve Kampiire from the Attorney General’s office before the High Court Judge, Musa Ssekaana, Col. Ndahura had pleaded guilty before the Mbuya-based disciplinary unit, chaired by Col. Tom Kabuye who remanded him to Makindye Military Prison until July 13.
He is expected to be sentenced on the same day.
Prosecution states that between February and March 2018, while at Police Crime Intelligence headquarters, Bugolobi in Kampala, Col. Ndahura fabricated evidence to wit a document containing a list of Rwandese refugees justifying a kidnap, legal deportation of Rwandese refugees to the republic of Rwanda which was a subject of prosecution in UPDF/GCM/ 019/2017 Uganda Verse ASCP, Joel Aguma, ASP Nickson Agasirwe and 7 others.
“We now know what he is being charged of. Originally we did not know what he was being apprehended for and according to the charge sheet, it shows that he pleaded guilty and now awaiting for sentencing,” Justice Ssekaana said.
However Col. Ndahura’s lawyer Mr Evans Ochieng said that these are all falsehoods because his client had never pleaded guilty to any charge and they would to challenge it.
Last week Justice Ssekaana ordered the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) to produce Col Ndahura in any courts of law after spending over 48hours without being charged.
The order followed an application by Col. Ndahura’s wife Ms Sarah Ndahura who accused the army of unjustly depriving her husband of his personal liberty contrary to article 23 (6) (a) of the constitution. Col Ndahura has been in military detention for about two weeks on unspecified charges. His detention coincided with the arrest of former Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura who also is in military custody on unspecified charges.
