Portuguese national facing aggravated trafficking further remanded

Portuguese national Mr. Carlos Alberto De Almeida E Costa has been further remanded to Luzira Government Prison for failing to pay the Shs30 million compensation to a victim of sexual exploitation, as part of a plea bargain.

He has been further remanded by High Court Anti-corruption Division Judge Andrew Bashaija.

Carlos, a resident of Busibante village in Kira Division, has spent four years in jail on charges relating to the sexual exploitation of a minor.

However, through his lawyer, Anguallia Daniel, Carlos asked the court to consider him for the judiciary’s plea-bargain program, wherein suspects spare the court’s resources by pleading guilty to offenses in exchange for lighter punishments.

Carlos entered an agreement with the prosecution on such terms that he would pay Shs30 million to his victim before he leaves prison.

But today, as the case came up before Justice Bashaijja to have him released, Senior State Attorney Marion Benbella told the court that the accused (Carlos) has not yet fulfilled his payment term. BenBella then asked that he should be remanded back to prison.

However, his lawyer has asked for a short remand period of up to Wednesday next week with the hope that his client would have arranged for the Shs30 million.

But the news of remanding him back to prison has not sat well with Carlos, who further pleaded to Justice Bashaijja to at least remand him into the custody of Internal Affairs until he pays the money, explaining that his fellow inmates trouble him.

The judge informed Carlos that he has no powers to remand suspects to Internal Affairs.

The Prosecution states that Alberto Carlos, between April and May 2020 at Busibante Zone, Kira Division, Wakiso district, received and harbored a minor through the abuse of power by giving her payments to achieve her consent for sexual exploitation.

The judge has ordered that Carlos be brought back before the court on March 27, 2024.

Written by Ruth Anderah