In Summary: Highly placed sources at the High Court Criminal Division, toldTV10GanoMazima that Katanga murder case file was recalled to be studied at the High Court.
By TV10 Investigative Desk
The trial magistrate in the gruesome murder of city businessman Henry Katanga is in trouble after Justice Jane Frances Abodo the Director for Public Prosecution (DPP) petitioned the Criminal Division of the High Court accusing him of mismanaging the case.
Abodo petitioned the higher court challenging the action of the trial magistrate Erias Kakooza to allow the fixing of the hearing date for bail application of the three suspects.
In her letter to the High Court, Abodo insists that charges against the suspects Patricia Kakwanza step daughter to the deceased, Dr. Charles Otai and George Amanyire are capital in nature and the magistrate court doesn’t have powers to entertain the bail application as the trail magistrate is trying to do.
Highly placed sources at the High Court Criminal Division, told TV10GanoMazima that Katanga murder case file was recalled to be studied at the High Court.
Magistrate Kakooza had set 22nd January to hear the bail application of the suspects after being informed by defense lawyers led by MacDusman Kabega that DPP was served with the papers for the bail application.
All the suspects are charged with the offence of Destroying evidence in Katanga’s murder and have been on remand since November 2023.
In the same development, Magistrate Kakooza has also issued an arrest warrant against Martha Nkwanzi daughter to the deceased after failing to honour criminal summons to appear in court and be formally charged.
The magistrate directed police or any person to arrest Nkwanzi onsite and bring her to court.
The magistrate rubbished the submissions by her lawyers that she is still recovering after giving birth in November 2023.
He also extended the criminal summons against Molly Katanga, widow to the deceased and the prime suspect in the said murder to 22nd January, 2024.
Her lawyers told the trial magistrate that Molly is still undergoing serious medication at International Hospital Kampala where she had a fifth operation.
However, prosecutors led by Jonathan Muwaganya protested the extension of the criminal summons against Molly insisting that she is just hiding in the hospital.
They pleaded with the trial magistrate to issue an arrest warrant.
State alleges that the suspects together with others still at large on 2nd November, 2023, murdered Katanga at his home at Mbuya, Chwa 2 in Nakawa Division Kampala city.
