Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court has issued an international arrest warrant for Isaac Ssemakadde, the president of the Uganda Law Society, directing Interpol to apprehend him.
The warrant was issued by Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi after Ssemakadde failed to appear in court despite being served with multiple criminal summons and an earlier arrest warrant.
Prosecutors petitioned the court for an Interpol arrest, arguing that Ssemakadde had fled the country to evade prosecution.
Satisfied with their submission, Magistrate Kayizzi authorized Interpol to arrest him on sight.
Ssemakadde faces charges of allegedly insulting the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jane Frances Abodo.
He had been summoned twice to respond to the allegations but did not attend the scheduled hearings.
This latest development follows a ruling last month by High Court Judge Musa Ssekaana, who sentenced Ssemakadde to two years in prison for contempt of court.
The ruling stemmed from a petition by Mugisha Hashim Mugisha, who accused Ssemakadde of making derogatory remarks on social media (X, formerly Twitter) against Justice Ssekaana and the judiciary.
With the international arrest warrant now in place, Interpol is expected to track down and extradite Ssemakadde to face the charges in Uganda.
