DPP withdraws defilement and trafficking charges against Don Nasser

Left to Right – Lawyer Friday Roberts Kagoro together with Don Nasser in Court.
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Director of Public Prosecutions, Lino Anguzu, has withdrawn charges of defilement and aggravated trafficking that had been brought against socialite Nasser Nduhukire, also known as Don Nasser.
The charges were formally withdrawn on Tuesday before the International Crimes Division of the High Court in Kampala, when Chief State Attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo presented a withdrawal document to the court presided over by Justice Andrew Bashaija, stating that the DPP had lost interest in pursuing the case.
Nduhukire had been jointly charged with Promise Ateete on counts of aggravated trafficking in children and defilement. Prosecutors alleged that Nduhukire and Ateete committed a series of offences between May 3 and May 27, 2024, in multiple locations, including Acacia Avenue and Tagore Living Apartments along Kayunga Road in Kampala, as well as Kito Zone in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District.
According to the prosecution, the two allegedly recruited, received, transported, or harboured a 16-year-old girl through fraudulent means, abuse of power, or exploitation of vulnerability, with the intention of sexual exploitation. Nduhukire was further accused of defiling the minor, who prosecutors claimed had been procured by Ateete, and of using toxic substances, including cocaine, to lure the victim into sexual activities on some occasions.
He was committed to the High Court by the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court in November 2024 after the completion of investigations, as reported at the time by Senior State Attorney Ivan Kyazze and Chief State Attorney Joseph Kyomuhendo.
Nduhukire had previously alleged that he was tortured following his arrest in Kenya and subsequent rendition to Uganda. He sought dismissal of the charges on grounds of human rights violations, but his application was unsuccessful at the time. Later, in the trial, Ateete’s charges were withdrawn, leaving Nduhukire as the sole accused on the charge sheet.
Although Nduhukire was not present in court at the time of the withdrawal, his lawyer, Evans Ochieng, was in attendance and did not object. Following the withdrawal, Justice Bashaija ordered that the bail money Nduhukire had paid, amounting to three million Shillings, be refunded.
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