City lawyer Male Mabirizi has been released by Luzira Prisons Authority after serving his 18 months jail sentence.
Mabirizi who has just walked out into freedom today, 25th February, 2023 was on February 15, 2022 sentenced by Justice Ssekaana for 18 months after finding him guilty of contempt of court.
After the sentencing however, Mabirizi went into hiding but was arrested a week later on 21st February, 2022.
The arrest of Mabirizi came exactly a week after the High court civil division judge Musa Ssekaana issued an order directing every police officer in Uganda to arrest him upon sight and be taken to Kitalya Mini Max prison to serve his punishment for the continued attack on judicial officers.
Deputy Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed Mabirizi’s arrest, saying that he was being held at Jinja road police station waiting to be taken to Kitalya as ordered by court.
The order to send Mabirizi to jail was issued by Ssekaana after finding him guilty for contempt of court for the second time. Ssekaana’s decision followed an application by the state attorney Patricia Mutesi from the attorney general’s chambers who argued that despite a January 27, 2022 order warning Mabirizi to desist from attacking judicial officers, he continued making contemptuous posts on his social media platforms against him (Ssekaana) and the judiciary.
According to Mutesi, in the posts Mabirizi accused Ssekaana of being biased, incompetent and not able to head the smallest court of a family, and one who doesn’t qualify for any award from Uganda Law Society and not even competent enough to be a grade two magistrate. Court also heard that the rest of the posts by Mabirizi were crafted in a vulgarised language.
Mabirizi had also described the Shs 300 million fine that was issued against him by Ssekaana the previous month for contempt of court as null and void. Mutesi thus asked court to find Mabirizi guilty of contempt of court and be committed to civil prison which order was granted.
A week earlier, Mabirizi while on the run told the media that Ssekaana’s orders were illegal. He then went ahead to boast on social media how he will do all it takes to evade arrest.
“The order is illegal because no man can be a judge in his own cause. Ssekaana having been clearly stated by Kiryowa Kiwanuka as the person allegedly abused/insulted, could not sit in the case, the same way judge Phillip Odoki didn’t sit in the case where it was alleged that he had been abused,” said Mabirizi .
The arrest has come just one day towards the hearing of Mabirizi’s application seeking to stay execution of all orders issued by justice Ssekaana against him including his conviction and subsequent sentencing to prison.(Eastn)