The hearing of the treason case against four-time presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye and his aide, Hajji Obeid Lutale, resumes on Monday, June 8, with the selection of court assessors.
On June 1, five assessors were presented before the court for consideration. Court assessors are non-lawyers who sit alongside a judge to assist in evaluating the evidence and circumstances surrounding a case.
Both the defence team and state prosecutors are expected to scrutinize the assessors’ qualifications and related documents before jointly selecting three assessors to participate in the trial.
In criminal proceedings, assessors provide their opinions before the presiding judge delivers a ruling. However, their opinions are advisory in nature and are not binding on the court.
The case is being presided over by Justice Emmanuel Baguma of the Criminal Division of the High Court in Kampala.
Besigye and Lutale are jointly charged with treason and misprision of treason alongside Capt. Denish Oyaa Oola of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), attached to the Armoured Brigade. The offences carry a maximum sentence of death upon conviction.
The defence team includes Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua, Erias Lukwago, Ernest Kalibbala, Fred Mpanga, Bayern Turinawe, Farouk Kamulegeya, Abubakkar Ssekanjako, Kato Tumusiime and Simon Nsubuga.
The prosecution is led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Thomas Jatiko and Chief State Attorney Richard Birivumbuka.
According to the prosecution, Besigye, Lutale, Oola and others still at large allegedly conspired between 2023 and 2024, in countries including Switzerland, Greece, Kenya and Uganda, to overthrow the Government of Uganda by force of arms.
The charge sheet further states that the accused persons, knowing that another person intended to commit treason, failed to report the information to Ugandan authorities in order to prevent the commission of the offence, an act that constitutes misprision of treason.
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