DOES APPEALING COURT CASE NOW MEAN YOU ARE FREE?.

📸: Daily Monitor.

Okurut and Okello met at Mzee Maricha’s farm and immediately became friends. They even shared the same boys’ quarter as Shamba boys, and when Okurut bought a ‘kabiriti’ phone and they shared it and kept changing sim cards to call their families. They even ate ‘molokony’ together at Mama Adong Restaurant until Okurut left for a month to ‘settle’ things at home. 

In that time, Okello met Alupot and it was love at first sight but he did not tell Okurut. After his return Okurut met a beautiful girl and he helped her with her heavy luggage, and he and that girl started meeting every Wednesday and Friday at her house for the next 2 months. Later, Okurut told Okello about the beautiful girl who has been making him sneak out at night and even promised to introduce them.

 

The next day, Okello came late for molokony and was shocked to find his ‘Alu’ holding hands with Okurut and he was sure Okurut was ‘playing around’ with his ‘love’. In anger, he went and burnt down Okurut’s hut. Okello was arrested and even found guilty in court. So, Okurut was confused when he returned that evening and found Okello eating at Mama Adong’s restaurant.

Is this even legal?

 

WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?

 

When a person is found guilty by court and given a punishment, they are supposed to start their punishment immediately. However, just because a person is guilty, does not mean it is the end. The law allows such a person if they are not happy with the decision of court to ask a higher court to ‘deal with the case’ again. This is called an Appeal.

 

In the time that person has the right to request court to allow them to stay out of prison until their ‘old case’ is heard by that higher court. In this case, the court can accept this request and give this person ‘bail’ until the higher court finishes dealing with their case. This is called bail pending appeal.

 

This does not mean that the person has been set free permanently, instead they are released with some conditions until the case is dealt with by that higher court.

Source: BarefootLawyers.