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In the news this evening, Uganda Law Society President Isaac Ssemakadde has been sentenced to two years in prison and fined Shs300m by High Court Judge Musa Sekaana for abusing him.
The issue at hand emanates from Ssemakade’s reaction against a ruling in December last year where Musa Sekaana halted the Uganda Law Society extra ordinary meeting that was set to take place on 17th December 2024. Ssemakadde accused Ssekaana of bias, corruption and having unholy alliances with government officials.
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Court records indicate that between December 11 and December 22, 2024, Ssemakadde launched scathing and offensive tweets of X under the hastag #SsekaanaMustGo where he claimed the judge was compromised and working against the independence of the legal profession.
In his landmark ruling, Justice Ssekaana vividly said that while criticism of judicial decisions is allowed, personal attacks against judges amount to contempt of court . He emphasized that the judiciary has a role to protect itself against scandalous attacks which discredit it’s independence.
This ruling comes at the height of disagreement between the Uganda Law Society led by Ssemakadde and the judiciary. Last week, Ssemakadde dragged his feet, banged the tables and refused to apologize for attacks on the judiciary. This ruling also comes exactly 3 years since the same judge Ssekaana sentenced then Ssemakadde’s friend Hassan Male Mabirizi to 9 months in prison for contempt of court.
“The respondent has continued to make relentless attacks on the judge and the entire judiciary with the sole purpose of undermining it’s authority. Such conduct erodes public confidence in the judicial system and must be punished”-reads part of the ruling delivered by Ssekaana.
“The repeated nature of the attacks by a person knowledgeable in legal matters and duly elected as president of Uganda Law Society invites this court to send a strong warning and caution against future contemnors ‘foot soldiers‘ and respondents in the main cause to desist from such conduct in future”- the ruling further reads.
“The respondent should be arrested and imprisoned for a period of two (2) years. The costs shall be in the cause”- Ssekaana ruled.Â
Squeaky bum time for the Radical New Bar as Justice Ssekaana strikes. @ug_lawsociety Rebel @IsaacSsemakadde has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for contempt of court. pic.twitter.com/hhMqsXgzOV
— Simon Kaggwa Njala (@SimonKaggwaNjal) February 14, 2025
Details to follow…..
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