Kampala
The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court has issued an international arrest warrant, directing the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to apprehend Ugandan lawyer Isaac Ssemakadde and return him to Uganda to face charges of insulting the modesty of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Jane Frances Abodo.
Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi issued the order on Wednesday, following private prosecutors Tony Tumukunde and Joshua Byamazima’s report that Ssemakadde remains at large. The prosecutors informed the court that despite serving an arrest warrant and notifying the Inspector General of Police, Ssemakadde has not been apprehended.
“As a result, they applied for an international warrant of arrest to be effected by Interpol from whichever country he was in,” the court heard.
Kayizzi granted the request, ordering Interpol to arrest Ssemakadde and present him before the court on April 16, 2025, to answer the charges. This marks the second arrest warrant issued against Ssemakadde; the first was issued on February 24, 2025, after he repeatedly failed to appear in court despite receiving criminal summons.
Ssemakadde’s lawyers, led by Derrick Bazekuketta, argued that his presence through legal representation should suffice in criminal matters, but the court rejected this, emphasizing the necessity of his personal appearance.
The charges stem from a complaint filed by Byamazima and Tumukunde on November 22, 2024, alleging that Ssemakadde made obscene and indecent remarks about DPP Abodo during a public symposium on November 18, 2024.
“All these things like your particular kerfuffle are then given legal dressing by this vagina from Karamoja,” and “I have made a case before that we have a pumpkin for a DPP, but some lawyers continue to pretend that she is actually the DPP… she is deadwood,” are among the statements attributed to Ssemakadde. The prosecutors submitted a video recording of these alleged utterances as evidence.
Ssemakadde has challenged the proceedings in the High Court, leading to delays. His lawyers filed a complaint with the High Court Criminal Division Registrar, arguing that the Buganda Road Court should have stayed proceedings pending the High Court’s decision. “We note that the lower court declined to stay the impugned proceedings pending revision. This denial has severely jeopardized our client’s liberty and right to a fair hearing,” his lawyers stated, requesting an interim order to halt the proceedings. “We humbly pray that this Honourable Court prioritizes this matter and be pleased to issue a ruling notice with an interim order of stay of proceedings in the lower court,” they wrote.
This is the second arrest warrant issued against Ssemakadde in recent weeks. On February 14, 2025, former Civil Division Judge Musa Ssekaana, now a Constitutional Court/Court of Appeal Designate Judge, found Ssemakadde in contempt of court for criticizing the judge on social media.Ssekaana sentenced Ssemakadde to two years in prison, a decision that has drawn criticism due to the judge’s prior personal disputes with the lawyer.
For More Related news;