A Court of Appeal session in Gulu was thrown into uncertainty yesterday after 10 of 29 inmates listed to have their appeals heard were found to be unavailable, exposing gaps in communication between the Uganda Prisons Service and the Judiciary.
The development prompted Moses Kazibwe Kawumi, the Deputy Chief Justice to direct prison authorities to promptly inform the Judiciary about the status and whereabouts of inmates whose cases are scheduled for hearing.
However, during a stakeholders’ engagement held ahead of the hearings, Patrick Musura, the Officer in Charge of Gulu Main Prison, told the Deputy Chief Justice that 10 of the 29 appellants listed for the session were absent.
Musura said three of the appellants had already been released, while another had reportedly died in Apaa, a disputed area along the Amuru-Adjumani border.
He said three other appellants were being traced, while four were being transported from Kampala.
Musura also told the meeting that prison authorities were still trying to establish details about some of the appellants.
The two-day criminal appeals session, which opened yesterday at the Gulu High Court, is being presided over by a three-member panel comprising Lady Justice Eva Luswata, Justice Dr Asa Mugenyi and Justice Musa Ssekaana.
They are handling appeals arising from serious offences, including aggravated robbery, murder and aggravated defilement.
The cases involve sentences ranging from 18 to 45 years in prison, life imprisonment and the death penalty.
By URN
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