Former Minister of Home Affairs Uladi Mussa has applied for bail pending appeal of his five-year jail sentence in connection to illegal issuance of passports to foreign nationals.
Mussa, along with former Central Region Immigration officer David Kwanjana and foreign businessman Peter Katasha were convicted and sent to jail in October last year by Justice Chifundo Kachale.
On Tuesday, Mussa and Kwanjana’s lawyer Paul Maulidi appeared before Justice Kachale asking for bail with an argument that the supreme court might take longer to set a date for hearing of the appeal which was already served at the higher court.
Maulidi told YFM that they are afraid that should the supreme court delay to set date for hearing of the appeal, the convict’s right to fair trial will be undermined.
State Prosecutor Kamudoni Nyasulu dismissed the argument by the defence attorney saying the defence is basing it’s arguments on speculations as they have not checked with the judicial registrar on the dates the supreme court has set to hear the matter.
The court has since reserved its ruling until second week of May this year.
