Hearing of a 2018 murder case against nine suspects accused of kidnap and murder of businesswoman Susan Magara has stalled today before the High Court in Kampala due to lack of operational funds.
Court presided over by Justice Alex Mackay Ajiji has pushed the hearing of the case to October 16th, 2023 with hopes that by then, funds will be available for a special criminal session to be convened.
State prosecutor Irene Nakibungwe informed court that the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) is not ready to present its witnesses because they too need money to facilitate the witnesses.
Justice Ajiji says funds are needed to secure at least 5 defence state-paid attorneys to beef up the number of assessors.
The suspects including; Lubega Yusuf , Wasswa Hussein, Sali Muzamir, Kyewolya Abubakar and Kisalita Muhammad , Kato Hassan Miro, Bukenya Ismaeal and Buvumbo Musa Abasi have since denied the charges.
Prosecution states that on February 7th, 2018, the accused persons with an intention to procure a ransom kidnapped Magara. That after receiving 200, 000 US Dollars (about Shs 700 million) from her family, they went ahead and murdered Magara on February 27th, 2018 at Kigo in Wakiso district.
Evidence in the charge sheet indicates that in January 2018, the nine suspects with others still at large, met at Usafi Mosque and conjured up a plan of getting themselves out of poverty.
Their plan allegedly involved kidnapping rich people or their family members for ransom.
The suspects, according to prosecution, started trailing Magara until they kidnapped her in Lungujja on her way home.
Further evidence shows that they took their victim to Amir Bukenya’s home in Konge II Makindye from where they cut off her two fingers that they sent to her family to show their determination to murder their daughter if they don’t pay the ransom.
After receiving the Shs700 million, they allegedly went ahead to suffocate Magara with a polythene bag for fear that she could identify them to authorities given the time she had spent in captivity.
