Legal row erupts at Lissu case

Dar es Salaam. A long legal battle erupted at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court between the prosecution and the defence team regarding the authenticity of the new charges substituted against Singida East MP Tundu Lissu and three others.

In the case, Lissu is charged along with an editor of the weekly tabloid, Saimon Mkina, with publishing seditious materials in the publication.

Other accused persons are Jabir Yunus, a journalist, and Ismail Mehboob, a printer.

Earlier, the prosecution led by Senior State Attorney Mutalemwa Kishenyi asked the court to allow them to read the new charge instituted against the accused.

However, defence counsel led advocate Peter Kibatala strongly objected to the request on grounds that the prosecution substituted the charge by adding counts whichhad been dismissed by the court earlier over legal technicalities. Lissu and his co accused were arraigned in June this year charged with five counts, including conspiracy to publish seditious materials, publishing and printing a seditious publication and printing a newspaper without submission of an affidavit.

Also there was an alternative count of intimidation to the charge of publishing a seditious publication.

However, in July 11 this year, the court struck out two counts of conspiracy and intimidation after it agreed with the defence submission that the counts lack legal merits.