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Septic murder case: Court to rule on Onebe’s bail next year
Mr Francis Onebe in the cells of Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kampala in September, where he and his former security guard were charged with murder of his wife. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- The senior accountant is accused of murdering his wife Mary Immaculate Asio, whose body was recovered from a septic tank at their home.
The High Court in Kampala yesterday set January 6 next year as the date it will decide on the bail application of jailed senior accountant Francis Onebe, who is facing murder charges.
In September, Mr Onebe, 63, together with his home security guard Bonny Oriekot, 26, were charged with the murder of his wife Mary Immaculate Asio Onebe, before Makindye Court in Kampala.
Judge Paul Gadenya set the date after hearing the 15 grounds for bail that were filed by Mr Onebe.
Mr Onebe, through his lawyer, Mr Moses Ingura, told the court that he is of an advanced age and his health cannot endure prison conditions since he suffers from prostate cancer, whose treatment he can only get from hospitals in Nairobi, Kenya and London, UK.
Mr Ingura also pleaded that Mr Onebe is of advanced age and suffers high blood pressure, prostate cancer and chronic prostatitis, for which treatment he said his client can only obtain when outside of prison.
He also said Mr Onebe has no history of any offence, and has a constitutional right to apply for and be granted bail pending his trial.
Mr Onebe told court that as a managing partner of Price and King, an audit firm employing more than 30 staff, its survival and smooth running depends on his skill and expertise and he needs time to physically attend to office and put in place a strong management while he attends to his trial.
“…..I am equally a chief executive officer of Pentagon Security Ltd, employing more than 2,000 Ugandan citizens, my services are highly required and being also the non-executive director and board member for Post Bank Uganda, it requires my services that can only be rendered when out of prison,” he argued.
Other grounds for his application included having substantial sureties with fixed places of residence in Kampala.
But state attorney Jonathan Muwaganya objected to the pleas, saying Mr Onebe is a flight risk as intelligence indicates he owns a home in Kenya, where he might flee once released on bail.
Mr Muwaganya also said there was no medical report to back the bail application and indicate that hospitals in Uganda cannot ably handle prostate cancer cases.
Justice Gadenya then ordered the prosecution to file written submissions by December 23, and defence rejoinder by December 28, and set ruling for January 6, 2022.
Background
The prosecution asserts that Mr Onebe, his security guard Bonny Oriekkot and others still at large, in January 2021 at Muwanga Zone in Muyenga, Makindye Division, Kampala District, murdered Immaculate Asio.
Her body was later discovered in a septic tank at the couple’s home in Mawanga Munyonyo in Makindye Division.
