Heavy weightlifter Julius Ssekitoleko is out on bond after spending almost a week in custody at Jinja Road police station. His lawyer Phillip Munaaba says Ssekitoleko was released this morning after presenting two sureties including his aunt, Pauline Nakasaga and brother Isma Mawanda.
Ssekitoleko’s brother Isma Mawanda told URN that they are happy with his release.
The heavy weightlifter who is battling charges of “conspiracy to defraud” vide GEF 674/2021 is expected to report back to police on August 4th, 2021. Ssekitoleko, 20, was deported from Japan to Uganda on Friday last week following his disappearance from the Olympic village in Izumisano city on July 16th 2021.
He was part of Uganda’s team that traveled for the Tokyo Olympics. On Tuesday, city lawyer Phillip Munaaba petitioned the High Court in Kampala demanding his unconditional release. Earlier, the CID spokesperson Charles Twine said that there is probable fraud of airlifting a person who had not qualified for the games.
Twine said that they had made several inquiries from the National Council of Sports on the same despite the fact that the top administrators are already in Japan. Ssekitoleko was part of the first batch of athletes that were flagged off last month to travel to Izumisano city to prepare for the games.
However, a few days to the games, the camp officials informed him that he didn’t qualify for the Olympics. According to Ssekitoleko, after learning that he had not qualified, he quickly vanished from the camp in an attempt “to look for a new life” in Japan. He however handed himself over to Japan’s authorities after five days’ search.
By URN
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