The Supreme Court has today rejected an appeal by former Arua Municipality MP Hussein Akbar Godi against conviction for murder.
Godi was in 2011 handed a 25-year sentence by then Mukono High Court Judge Lawrence Gidudu after being found guilty of killing his 19 year old wife Rehema Ceasar Nassur in 2008.
According to Gidudu, prosecution adduced enough evidence to show that Godi had murdered his wife and held that the 30 prosecution witnesses produced by the state then led by the late Joan Kagezi directly linked the former legislator to Ms Nassur’s murder.
Court also held that the two bullet cartridges found at the murder scene, came from the pistol owned by Godi, and that the soil sample got from his shoes was similar to that found at the murder scene.
Godi first appealed against the sentence in 2013, but his appeal was rejected, forcing him to seek reprieve in the highest court.
Today’s judgment was delivered at the Kololo-based Supreme Court by a five member panel of justices John Wilson Tsekooko, Esther Kisakye Mayambala, Galdino Okello, Jotham Tumwesigye and Christine Kitumba.
In a 4-1 ruling, the Coram upheld the Court of Appeal ruling, in effect sending Godi back to Luzira to serve his jail term. “We have carefully looked at evidence on record by the High Court and Court of Appeal and have found there is no basis for the appeal,” read Justice Tsekoko, who read the SC ruling said.
He added: “We have not found any merit on all the three grounds of the appeal; we therefore uphold the decision of the Court of Appeal and upholding the sentence.”
However, the former Arua Municipality legislator, who was all along calm during the court session, told journalists that he was not satisfied with the Supreme Court’s decision.
“Everyone knew the outcome of my case when the President went public and said that I had to be jailed. All will be said but the fact and history will always remain that I became an MP at a tender age,” Godi said.
He said the sentence will enable him read extensively to broaden his understanding.
“Since age is on my side, I will bounce back,” Godi asserted.
