High Court Rejects Former UNBS Director’s Request to Halt Bribery Trial

The High Court has rejected an application by David Livingstone Ebiru, the former Executive Director of Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), to halt his trial on bribery charges until investigations by the Inspectorate of Government are completed.

The Anti-Corruption Division Judge, Jane Okuo Kajuga, ruled against Ebiru’s application, stating it was incorrectly filed before the High Court because it lacked territorial and material jurisdiction to enforce Ebiru’s human rights.

Ebiru faces charges of bribing Charles Masekuura, the UNBS board chairperson, to secure his position as UNBS ED.

A warrant of arrest was issued against Ebiru on August 8, 2023, but attempts to arrest him were unsuccessful, leading him to challenge the criminal trial.

Ebiru argued that his rights were violated by the Inspectorate of Government’s decision to sanction charges against him without prior investigations. He sought to halt the trial, declared the criminal summons and arrest warrant illegal, and requested a permanent injunction against the Inspector General of Government (IGG).

The Attorney General argued that the Anti-Corruption Court Division (ACD) had no jurisdiction to hear human rights enforcement matters and that Ebiru’s application should have been filed elsewhere. Ebiru’s lawyer claimed that the High Court and Magistrates Court had the authority to examine human rights violations arising from their courts.

Justice Kajuga agreed with the Attorney General’s submissions, dismissing the application due to a lack of jurisdiction. She emphasized that issues of human rights violations should have been raised before the Chief Magistrates Court, as the High Court could only intervene when a matter had been referred to it by the lower court.

Justice Kajuga also clarified that the High Court could not intervene in a matter filed directly before it, as the case against Ebiru had not been committed to the High Court for trial. Consequently, the application for a temporary injunction and the main suit were dismissed.