Former presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye has asked court to guide him on how to select legal representation from a list of 786 advocates provided under the state brief scheme, arguing that the information given is insufficient to make an informed decision.
Addressing court, Besigye said the list, which was received at 6:00 pm, only contains names, years of enrolment, areas of practice and telephone contacts, without indicating the advocates’ expertise in handling complex cases.
The four-time presidential contender noted that the charges he faces are grave and span four countries, with much of the evidence described as technical and electronic, making the competence and suitability of counsel critical.
“In these circumstances, I respectfully seek the court’s guidance on how I am expected to assess the competence of the advocates and make an informed choice,” he submitted.
Besigye reiterated that he already has a legal team in which he has full confidence, but whose participation remains uncertain due to unresolved security concerns.
He told court that these concerns are the subject of Application No. 248 currently before the High Court, which directly affects his legal representation.
“At our previous appearance, the court undertook to ascertain the status of this application, which was filed last month,” he said.
Besigye argued that it would be premature to compel him to select counsel from the state-provided list before the outstanding issues surrounding his preferred legal team are resolved.
He further questioned the need for state-funded legal representation, saying he is willing and able to hire lawyers of his own choosing.
“It would be unjust to require the people of Uganda to bear the cost of my legal representation, especially at a time when many citizens are facing severe hardship,” he said.
He urged the court to first determine the pending matters, particularly those relating to the security and availability of his chosen lawyers, before requiring him to make a selection from the list.
