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Tundu Lissu’s sureties in inflammatory case summoned to Dar es Salaam court

Dar es Salaam. The Kisutu Residents Magistrate Court on Thursday, August 06, 2020 summoned sureties for Chadema Deputy Chairman (Tanzania Mainland) and Presidential hopeful Tundu Lissu to appear before the court so they can be reminded of their legal obligations.

Resident Magistrate Rashid Chaungu ruled on Thursday that the sureties should appear before the Court on August 31, 2020.

This was after the sureties failed to attend court proceedings on Thursday when an inflammatory case facing the former Singida East Member of Parliament (MP) came up for mention.

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This is the third time that Mr Lissu and his sureties fail to show up at the court since the opposition politician returned from Belgium last week.

Mr Lissu had been undergoing treatment in Belgium for close to three years following several gunshots he received while in Dodoma in September, 2017.

He finally returned home last week and earlier this week, his party (Chadema) endorsed him to be its presidential candidate in the October 2020 General Election.

At the court on Thursday, Magistrate Chaungu’s ruling followed a submission by state attorney Wankyo Simon who asked the court to issue summons so that the accused or/and his sureties can appear before the court when the case comes up for mention again.

Mr Lissu’s lawyer, Peter Kibatala told the court that the accused was advised to go into isolation upon his return from Belgium as a measure to control spread of the Covid-19 outbreak.

He however apologized to the court following the absence of the sureties. Magistrate Chaungu then ruled that the case will come up for mention on August 31 and that the sureties were expected to be in the courtroom on that day.  

In the main case, Mr Lissu is accused of making an inflammatory statement, a crime he allegedly committed on June 28, 2016.

He is accused of uttering words that linked Tanzania’s leadership to dictatorship and that Tanzanians have every reason to oppose dictatorial leadership.

Mr Lissu is facing a total of five inflammatory cases at the Kisutu Resident’s Magistrate Court.

 

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