Top Ugandan police officers charged with kidnap of Kagame’s guard
Friday October 27 2017
Joel Mutabazi, a former lieutenant in President Paul Kagame’s Republican Guard, when he appeared before the court martial in Rwanda on May 13, 2014. FILE PHOTO | NMG
Nine people, including seven senior police officers, were Friday charged at a court martial in Kampala for kidnapping a former aide of Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
The suspects, who include a Rwandan and a Congolese national, were also charged with espionage.
They are accused of conspiring with Rwanda to kidnap and deport Joel Mutabazi, a former lieutenant in the president's elite guard, in 2013.
The suspects were arrested by the Ugandan army’s investigation unit, the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence. They include former police commander of the elite Special Operations Unit, Mr Nickson Agasirwe, and Joel Aguma, the commandant of the police Professional Standards Unit.
In unclear circumstances, Mr Mutabazi, who was in a UN refugee facility in Uganda, was captured and handed over to Rwanda police in October 2013 to face trial over treason and terror-related crimes.
The former lieutenant was stripped of his army rank and sentenced to life in jail by the Rwandan military court after a year-long trial.
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