The High Court in Masaka has today found Arua Municiplaity MP, Akbar Godi guilty of murdering his wife, Rehema Ceasar.
Presiding Judge, Lawrence Gidudu says the prosecution had adduced enough evidenceto implicate Godi in the murder of his estranged wife.
Akbar Hussein Godi in Black Suit
The Judge agreed with Principal state attorney Joan Kagezi that there was enough evidence to prove that Godi killed his 19 year old wife on December 4, 2008 in Mukono.
The writing must have been on the wall for Godi, following his sending to Luzira on 1st February with Gidudu canceling his bail arguing that given the nature of the case and the assessor’s opinion, it was safer for the MP to be remanded as he was likely to jump bail.
Godi’s lawyers led by McDusman Kabega have asked the court to dismiss the case against the MP arguing that the state had failed to avail any evidence that Godi killed his wife. Kabega said all the evidence presented was circumstantial and not reliable to convict his client.
But Gidudu agreed with Kagezi that Godi’s actions before and after the murder pointed to him murdering the wife, and that forensics experts had adduced strong evidence against Godi, stating that the two spent cartridges recovered from the murder scene came from Godi’s pistol.
Judge Gidudu sentenced Godi to 25 years in jail. Justice Lawrence Gidudu will deliver his full ruling later, but affirmed that he was convinced that Godi whom he described as “a skillful mafia” hunted his estranged wife until she was brutally murdered.
The relatives of Rehema Ceasar jubilated after the sentencing saying she had got justice for the cold blooded murder by her husband. Godi’s lawyers did not immediately specify whether they would appeal the rilling.
The judgement unless overturned also means Godi loses his seat in parliament and candidature in the Arua Municipality Member of parliament race where he stood as an independent.