Lady Justice Susan Okalany of the High Court has adjourned the pre-trial session of Thomas Kwoyelo, a senior Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel commander who is facing numerous war crime related charges after his (Kwoyelo’s) lawyers failed to show up in court.
This morning Kwoyelo appeared before Lady Justice Okalany of the International Crimes Division (ICD) of the high court in Gulu during a pre-trial session for the defence and the prosecution to iron out the key issues.
But Kwoyelo’s lawyers were a no show.
In the past Kwoyelo had been represented by Caleb Alaka (lead lawyer), Nicholas Opiyo, Onyango Owor, Ivan Ochieng and Annet Badda. None of them was present in court today.
When contacted, Onyango Owor said he was no longer part of Kwoyelo’s defence.
Nicholas Opiyo said he was unware that his client had been produced in court in Gulu.
In a text message to an Acholi Times reporter, Opiyo said.
“I am on his (Kwoyelo) team. But I was not served any hearing notice and this; I was unaware of any proceeding in court.”
When asked by the judge about his lawyers, Kwoyelo named his lawyers as Caleb Alaka and Nicholas Opiyo.
The judge gave till tomorrow 9 am for Kwoyelo’s lawyers to appear in court failure for them [lawyers] to do so, the judge said she will appoint two lawyers to represent Kwoyelo.
Charles Kamuli, the lead prosecutor in the trail against Kwoyelo said all the accused lawyers had been served.
The prosecution, according to sources, plans to line up 130 witnesses against the former LRA commander.
Kwoyelo was charged with war crimes, including murder and kidnapping in various locations in northern Uganda, on July 11, 2011 in Gulu. He denied all the charges.
The trial of Kwoyelo is the first such case before the Ugandan High Court’s International Crime Division (ICD) started in 2011 after the court was established to try crimes of an international nature in 2008.
Cultural and religious leaders from the Acholi sub region and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working for peace in northern Uganda have asked government to pardon the former LRA leader.
