KAMPALA; The High Court on Tuesday ordered that Kizza Besigye and his aide Obeid Lutale take plea shortly after the prosecution amends the indictment in their case, following a standoff over its regularity.
The directive followed a ruling by trial judge Emmanuel Baguma, who agreed with the defence that the indictment, as initially presented, was procedurally defective.
Justice Baguma held that the registrar had failed to append a signature and to formally serve all parties, a requirement for a valid indictment.
The amended indictment accuses Besigye, Lutale and others still at large of treason and misprision of treason, offences that carry potential penalties of death and life imprisonment respectively upon conviction.
The court further ordered the defence to use a subsequent 15 minutes to prepare the accused to immediately take plea once proceedings resume.
The ruling initially appeared to offer relief to the defence, which on Monday had challenged the validity of the indictment and objected to immediate plea taking, arguing that it would amount to an ambush and prejudice the accused.
However, Justice Baguma maintained that plea taking should proceed without delay once the procedural issues are cured.
On Monday, the judge denied bail to Besigye and Lutale and indicated that the court would only entertain fresh bail applications after plea has been taken.
The indictment also alleges that between June and July 2024 Besigye solicited and received about $5,000 to facilitate the travel of 36 individuals to Kisumu, Kenya, for what prosecutors describe as training linked to the alleged plan.
By the time of filing this report, court was still in recess and proceedings were expected to resume shortly.
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