The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao, has clarified recent public misunderstandings regarding the Supreme Court’s directive on a high-profile case, emphasizing that the Court did not issue a release order.
“It’s erroneous for anybody to think that what the Supreme Court said was a release order. The court didn’t say, ‘I have freed;’ they only instructed that the case be brought before the proper court for a hearing,” Mao explained.
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Reiterating that the court’s judgment simply called for the case to be transferred to the appropriate court for further hearings, he urged the public to avoid misinterpreting the judgment.
Mao also addressed concerns about the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) Act, particularly its alignment with the Constitution.
“If the courts say the UPDF Act collides with the Constitution, then we have homework to do,” Mao noted. While affirming that the judiciary does not create laws,
However, Member of Parliament Semujju Ibrahim, representative of Kira Municipality, criticized Mao for attempting to justify the government’s failure to comply with the Court’s judgment.
“My disappointment with Hon. Norbert Mao is that he’s seeking to rationalize the disobedience of a Supreme Court judgment by government agencies,” Semujju stated.
Kanushu Laura, the PWD Representative, questioned the value of Parliament debating a ruling that should be implemented immediately.
“As Parliament… What value do we add by discussing a ruling that should simply be implemented?” she blurted.
The Supreme Court’s judgment observed that the Court Martial is a disciplinary body for the military and not a forum for trying civilians or criminal cases.
The Court’s decision hence called for all criminal cases to be handled by civilian courts, stating that the Court’s jurisdiction is limited to military discipline.
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