KAMPALA — The Director of Public prosecutions has today September 19 told the Internatonal Crimes Division of the High court that the Buhikira palace in Nyakabugo – Kasese district is still treated as a crime scene and therefore the Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere should not be allowed to go back as he seeks.
The DPP raised this ground while objecting to an application in which Mumbere is seeking orders to relax his bail terms.
The Senior State Attorney Marion BenBella contends that the Kingdom palace in Muyenga cell, Nyakabugo 11 ward, Central Division is still a protected crime scene which is partly the reason why his deceased mother could not be buried there.
BenBella has also presented an affidavit sworn by detective superintendent of police attached to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions Johnson Monday stating that if the king is allowed go back to Kasese , he may interfere with state witnesses.
Monday states that inquires in the cases the King is facing were completed and was committed to the International Crimes Division of the High Court on the 22nd June 2017 and the respondent and awaits the court registry to fix a hearing date.
Monday adds that he got intelligence information which he believes to be true that some of king Mumbere’s subjects who had fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have returned re-organised, trained and are ready to stage another attack and defend their king.
The state also denied attacking Mumbere’s palace citing that he had recruited an illegal private army known as the royal guards who had committed several atrocities and had resisted arrest.
The government explained that it was just responding to an armed rebellion which was led by Mumbere.
Monday further stated Mumbere is a King is a recognised cultural leader under the institution of the Cultural Leaders Act 2011 and is entitled to security which he can not disband, refuse, obstruct or reviewed.
Through his lawyers of Alaka & Co.Advocates King Mumbere alleges that since his release, the state turned his residence at Muyenga on Kamapala into a prioson , adding that efforts to seek medical attention have to be cleared through security agencies.
The King states that he has been denied direct access to any person apart from his immediate family yet the queen and his children have been denied visitation rights to other family members and friends.
Justice Margaret Oumo Oguli has adjourned the matter to September 24 for King Mumbere’s lawyers to respond to the state.
King Mumbere with a number of his royal guards are facing charges of treason, terrorism, murder, aggravated robbery and being in possession of illegal firearms.
He was arrested on November 26, 2016, during an army raid on his Buhikira palace in Kasese Town.
The raid on the palace left more than 100 feared people.
