Five questions that nailed ‘Sugu’
http://maisharaisi.blogspot.com/2018/02/five-questions-that-nailed-sugu.html
Mbeya Urban MP Joseph Mbilinyi (2nd right) talks to his wife Happy .
Mr Mbilinyi, famously known as ‘Sugu’, and Chadema’s Southern Highlands Zone secretary Emmanuel Masonga were yesterday sentenced to jail terms of five months each after the court found them guilty of delivering a ‘hate speech’ against President John Magufuli.
The two delivered the ‘hate speech’ at Mwenge Primary School grounds in Mbeya City on December 30 last year.
Reading the judgement, the magistrate in charge at the Mbeya Resident Magistrates’ Court, Mr Michael Mteite, said it was through the five questions that the co-accused were found guilty of uttering disgraceful statement against, President John Magufuli.
The key issues, as highlighted by Mr Mteite included: Did the accused utter the words? Was there any disgraceful connotation in the uttered words? Who were the words directed at? Were the words a threat to national peace and cohesion? Are the accused guilty?
“These are the key issues that informed this court in arriving at the judgement,” said Mr Mteite as he read the judgement.
Delivering the judgement, Magistrate Mteite said the second plaintiff, Mr Masonga declined to have attended a public rally on the said day because he was attending to his sick wife, Ms Grace Mallya. However, he, said, Mr Masonga’s testimony was delayed because it was tabled before the court after the prosecution had closed submissions.
He said witnesses number 2, 3 and 5 proved before the court that through sight and hearing the duo uttered hate statement against President Magufuli. The principal State Attorney, Joseph Pande pleaded with the court to issue heavy punishment to the duo to set a lesson to others.
The plaintiff lawyer, Peter Kibatala, appealed with the court to give an alternative punishment such as serving a suspended sentence as they spent nearly a month in remand prison.
He said since ‘Sugu’ and Masonga are politicians and that the said words were uttered during a political rally, the head of state would simply use a similar platform to respond to the accusations since he (the President) is also a politician.
‘Sugu’ will remain an MP and enjoy all the benefits associated with the position.
