UGANDA: Court convenes to hear appeal case for released convict

By BETTY NDAGIRE, Kampala.

The court of Appeal, which was on Monday set to hear a case of a convict who was challenging a life sentence, was shocked to discover that he had served his sentence and therefore released.

The accused’s lawyer, Mr Duncan Ondimu, told a panel of three judges led by Justice Constance Byamugisha that there was no case to be heard as the convict had already been set free by the prisons since he had served his sentence.

“My lord, I pray for withdrawal of this matter because I approached the prisons authorities on Saturday seeking to secure presence of my client and I was informed that he was released after serving his sentence,” Mr Ondimu said.

Vincent Karungi, had in 1994 been sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to killing his father.

At the time of Karungi’s sentence, life imprisonment was interpreted as staying in incarceration for 20 years. Karungi, who was 18 at the time, appealed against it, saying he expected a lenient sentence after he voluntarily confessed to the crime.

The appeal had been made in 1994 after he had been sentenced. Court was on Monday supposed to hear his case but by then, Karungi had served his 20 years, as he had been arrested in 1991 and put on remand.

Source: Daily Monitor (21/11/2012): http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Court-convenes-to-hear-appeal-case-for-released-convict/-/688334/1625368/-/wmm6isz/-/index.html