There is panic among lawyers representing National  Unity Platform (NUP) former presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine.

This is after they received information that a decision was taken by the Supreme Court Justices led by Chief Justice Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo to drag them to the Law Council over their frequent insults and verbal attacks on judges.

Multiple credible sources at the Supreme Court disclosed that the nine Justices of the Supreme Court who are handling Bobi Wine’s petition have agreed to petition the disciplinary body to take action against Bobi Wine’s lawyers.

“The decision was taken even though the Law Council has not yet received the petition. It was unprofessional for a senior lawyer to go to CBS radio and insult a senior Justice that he is incompetent and that he left a lot of dirty work at his former stations, it was embarrassing” a judiciary source said.

He added that before the decision was taken, one of the Justices told friends that he listened to one of Kyagulanyi’s Advocates live on CBS radio attacking him during a political talk show.

The judge added that this lawyer thought that he does not understand Luganda language since he is not a Muganda. After the show, the judge rang him and asked him why he was attacking him.

The source said that the Advocate apologised to the Justice who insisted and was supported by his colleagues that the law council should be petitioned.

The source added that the Justices also cited a number of insults from NUP lawyers especially via social media and in main media stream towards them.

It should be remembered that Chief Justice Dollo was unhappy with the lies made by Bobi Wine’s lawyer Anthony Wameli on oath in his affidavit that he was blocked from filling the additional evidence against Museveni on the particular day given to them by Court.

Justice Dollo insisted that he was present on that particular date (14th/02/2021) and in the evening, he saw Wameli jumping on the boda boda running away from court without any Court official stopping him.

The Judge asked the Attorney General William Byaruhanga to look for an avenue where such lawyers who lie under oath like Wameli are punished by the Law Council to avoid putting the legal profession in the Country into disrepute.

Recently, the Law Society through their president Phiona Wall Nabasa threatened to take action against Bobi Wine’s lawyers who are insulting and putting the judiciary in bad light.

Last week, a concerned Ugandan Job Richard Mutua petitioned the Law Council over the unprofessional behaviour of Bobi Wine’s lawyers.

City Lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi also advised Bobi Wine to drag his lawyers to the law council for being incompetent and failing to prosecute their case.

The accusations against Bobi Wine’s lawyers comes at a time when their practicing licenses have not yet been renewed by the law council and other concerned bodies.

Because Bobi Wine’s petition is of public interest, Chief Justice Dollo directed the Chief Registrar to give Bobi Wine’s lawyers led by Busiro East member of parliament Medard Lubega Ssegona a temporary practicing license that will expire on the 18th of March 2021, the day allocated by Court to deliver its decision on the matter.

Bobi Wine applied to withdraw his petition on several grounds.

BOBI WINE’S LAWYERS SPEAKS OUT

However, when reached for comment on the matter, Wameli told theGrapevine that he never put the judiciary in bad. He said that whatever they said was in good faith not in bad faith as many are trying to portray it. He asserted that he is ready to defend himself when summoned by the law council.

JUDICIARY SPEAKS OUT

The Judiciary Senior Communications Officer Solomon Muyita revealed that no decision has been made to drag Bobi Wine’s lawyers to law council.

He explained that there was just one concerned Ugandan who petitioned the law council.

MABIRIZI INSISTS ON STAYING OF BOBI WINE’S APPLICATION

Meanwhile, Lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi is still staged at the office of the Supreme Court Registrar seeking for a date to hear his application where he wants the Supreme Court to stay the hearing of the application filed by Bobi Wine to withdrawal his presidential petition until the  East African Court makes a decision in his suit.

Mabirizi is challenging Justice Dollo’s refusal to recuse himself from Bobi Wine’s petition.

Mabirizi told theGrapevine that it’s clear in the East African Community regulations that established the East African Court that if a petition is filed in Court concerning a certain matter in a local Court, it has to stay until the decision of the regional Court is made.

He added that if Bobi Wine’s application for withdrawal is heard before his application, the matter will turn academic.

However, through a letter, Supreme Court Deputy Registrar Harriet Ssali Nalukwago informed Mabirizi that they have received his application and Court will consider it at the appropriate date which will be communicated to him.

By Sengooba Alirabaki