By Andrew Irumba
The Anti-Corruption Court yesterday heard that suspended junior Labour minister Herbert Kabafunzaki’s co-accused has gone missing.
The missing of Mr Bruce Lubowa, one of the suspects in the alleged Shs5m bribe case, came alive yesterday after presiding judge Margaret Tibulya tasked Mr Sunday Kizirimpa, one of his sureties, to explain to court his whereabouts.
As his surety, Mr Kizirimpa undertook to ensure that Mr Lubowa appears in court whenever he is needed.
“As I told you last time, Mr Lubowa ran away from Butabika hospital. He was sighted once in Mbarara and we have tried to have him arrested and brought to court but failed,” Mr Kizirimpa briefed court yesterday.
He asked court to involve police in tracking down Mr Lubowa.
In June, court was briefed that Mr Lubowa had been admitted to Butabika in May as he was at the time suffering from secondary depression coupled with suicidal thoughts.
However, yesterday, Ms Barbara Kawuma, one of the prosecutors, told court that the information they received was that Mr Lubowa was discharged from Butabika hospital after his mental status stablised but cannot be traced.
Ms Kawuma informed court that another surety of Mr Lubowa, whom she only identified as Ssempijja, had on several occasions dodged to take police to where Mr Lubowa is.
“Sureties of A3 (accused number three) are taking this court for granted because they have failed to fulfil their bail conditions of ensuring that the suspect shows up in court whenever he is needed,” Ms Kawuma told court.
Justice Tibulya in her brief ruling, tasked Mr Kizirimpa to look for Mr Lubowa and have him brought to court tomorrow when the matter resumes.
“If you know where A3 is, please bring him to court otherwise, you will not be let to go. Remember that you undertook to ensure that the accused is brought to court or in default, you will pay the money that you undertook to pay while signing the bail forms,” Justice Tibulya charged.
Mr Kabafunzaki is accused of receiving a Shs5m bribe from Aya Group chairman, Mr Hamid Mohammed Mohammed, in exchange of clearing his name in the media of the sexual harassment allegations of one of his female employees in the then Aya Hotel last year.
