Jailed Pine Car Bond proprietor Muhammad Sebuufu, who is accused of murdering one of his customers Donah Katushabe has rushed to High Court seeking to be released on bail pending his trial.
In his bail application presented in court by his counsels Henry Kunya and Richard Furah, Sebuufu tabled ten grounds on which he ought to be released.
He informed court that bail was not only his constitutional right, but also necessary because he is currently suffering from epilepsy. To prove this he has produced documents from Butabika Hospital supporting his claims.
Sebuufu (in suit) is seeking to be released on bail
He added that he has dependents who include children he is looking after and paying their school
fees.
To assure court that he cannot run away, Sebuufu produced in court a certificate of title for his home in Najeera, worth Shillings 560million.
On top of this, he also presented to court four sureties who included former Presidential Press Secretary Joseph Tamale Mirundi 52, who he said was his long time friend; as well as Sheikh Nuhu Muzaata Batte 54, his maternal uncle.
Sheikh Nuuhu Muzaata arrives for the bail hearing
The other sureties were Mathias Jumba 35, a banker working with Standard Chartered Bank and one Mr Abbas Mubiru.
However, the state prosecutor Sharifah Nalwanga objected to this bail application on grounds that Sebuufu may interfere with the witnesses in this case because some of them are his employees.
“We object to the bail application because most of the co-accused are still at large, the applicant is a Patron of the Pine car bond where most of the witnesses are expected to come from.”
Several relatives of the deceased attended the session
State further appealed to court that once it decides to grant bail to Sebuufu, it must put in place tough bail conditions on him as well as his sureties since this case on conviction carries a death penalty.
Meanwhile the late Katushabe’s relatives attended this session in big numbers and many were seen in grief.
Some of the late Katushabe’s relatives were seen in grief
Justice Masalu Musene set Monday 04 April to deliver his ruling on this application.
Prosecution alleges that on 20th March 2015 Muhamad Ssebufu, Tasingika , Godfrey kayiza, Phillip Mirambe , Stephen Lwanga and others at large by the use of sticks and a panga beat and sliced Dona Katushabe to death for failure to clear a 9 million shillings debt which was balance for a car that she had bought from Sebuufu