JSC probes Sebutinde talk over URA ruling
KAMPALA - The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has asked Justice Julie Sebutinde to respond to a petition filed against her for allegedly criticising a fellow judge, Justice J. B. A. Katutsi. Advocates James Akampumuza and Muzamiru Kibeedi on August 18 petitioned the JSC to establish the circumstance under which Sebutinde criticised Katutsi and made racist remarks against former URA boss, Ms. Annebrit Aslund. Sebutinde was quoted by the media as saying, �Ugandans have lost because one foreigner had asked for the trashing of the report trying to save Uganda�s granary.� The petitioners wondered whether somebody with such racist attitude would dispense justice to all manner of people. �Our client has all along been complaining of bias against her by Lady Justice Sebutinde. Our client was vindicated by the High Court. When in her irregular disputing of a High Court judgement she repeats the foreigner bias, it becomes a proper case for JSC to address its jurisdiction in light of the equality before the law guaranteed to every person under the Constitution,� they said. They represented Aslund in the application for prerogative orders by way of judicial review of the proceedings and report of the inquiry into allegations of graft in URA. Katutsi heard the applications and decided the case in favour of Aslund, declaring the Sebutinde report null and void. The advocates said in the petition they were stunned just a day after the judgement to learn from the media that Sebutinde attacked Katutsi over the ruling. �To date, we have neither heard nor seen a rebuttal or denial of the aforesaid press reports,� the advocates said. The lawyers said Sebutinde publicly attacked Katutsi, bring her repute and that of Katutsi and the whole Judiciary in public ridicule. They asked the Commission to probe the suitability of Sebutinde to continue as a Judge, and to take appropriate action and remedy to redeem the independence, integrity, impartiality and public image of the Judiciary. In a letter to Sebutinde, the JSC chairman, Justice S. T. Manyindo asked her to respond to the allegations attributed to her by the media and the petitioners at her earliest convenience. Sebutinde, however, declined to make any comment when called by The Monitor yesterday. �I have no comment,� she said. Some time back, Aslund and the CID boss, Ms. Elizabeth Kutesa, petitioned the JSC over Sebutinde�s statements, but the Commission found no wrongful doing by Justice Sebutinde. Bwanika ________ http://www.idr.co.ug --> for your consultancy needs http://p201.ezboard.com/fugandamanufacturersassociationfrm1 ----------------------------------------------------------- Spela poker mot verkliga m�nniskor �ver Internet. �ver 40 000 spelare online http://www.multipoker.com _______________________________________________ Ugandanet mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
