Seven Rwandan Nationals who had been charged with illegal possession of firearms by the General Court Martial in Kampala have walked free after the charge was withdrawn.
The seven men are; Rene Rutagungira, Bahati Mugenga, Emmanuel Rwamuco, Augustine Rutisiri, Etienne Nsanzabahizi, Charles Byaruhanga and Claude Iyakaleme.
In 2017, Rene Rutagungira was arraigned before Court Martial and charged with abduction but the charges were later amended, when prosecution alleged that he used a pistol and grenades to abduct Lt Joel Mutabazi and Jackson Kalemera, the former Bodyguards of Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda.
The charge sheet further indicated that Rene took the abductees to Rwanda with the help of other Ugandan Police officers including Nixon Agasirwe.
However, the Army prosecution led by Lt Col Raphael Mugisha on Tuesday told court that they had lost interest in the case, adding that the withdrawal of charges doesn't mean that they cannot be reinstated at any time.
Lt General Andrew Gutti the Chairman Court Martial endorsed the withdrawal of the charges and set the suspects free.
The suspects’ lawyer Eron Kiiza, welcomed the decision and demanded that his clients be compensated for malicious prosecution. Members of the public have since speculated that this could be a beginning to amending the injured relationship between the two countries.
