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Army Court blocks Kitatta's attempt to use CCTV footage as evidence

Tuesday August 07 2018

The General Court Martial has blocked jailed Boda-boda 2010 patron Abdullah Kitatta from using CCTV footage from a Hotel where he was allegedly arrested at Wakaliga as part of his defence.
The court's chairman Lt. Gen Andrew Gutti declined to grant the order for Kitatta's lawyers to use the camera footage to show that Kitatta was never found with the 3 guns in his room at Vine Hotel.
Gen Gutti explained that the camera footage is not part of the testimony of the first prosecution witness private Richard Kasaijja and therefore there is no basis upon which the lawyers can cross-examine him on the same.

READ MORE: Boda Boda 2010 patron Kitatta sheds tears as witness pins him
In the same trial, Kitatta's lawyers led by Shaban Sanywa spent 4 hours cross-examining private Kasaijja on the testimony he gave in May 2018, pinning Kitatta on being in unlawful possession of 3 guns and 55 rounds of ammunition.
The lawyers labelled Kaisajja as an incompetent soldier who is unfit to carry out operations because he cannot even remember the number or the names of suspects he arrested in January.
However, in the middle of Tuesday's proceedings, Lt.Gen Gutti threw out one of Kitatta's lawyer Jimmy Muyanja for misconduct.
This is after Muyanja banged a table while accusing the prosecutor Maj. Raphael Mugisha of signalling answers to the witness-private Kasaijja.
This angered Gutti and ordered Military police to escort Muyanja out with a warning that he should never to set foot in his court again.
Kitatta with 12 other people have been on remand at Makindye Military police barracks and Luzira prison since January 2018 on charges of unlawful possession of firearms, ammunition and Military gear.
The suspects have since denied the allegations for which the prosecutor will present his second witness on the 10th/September 2018. 

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