High Court Judge in Fort Portal has expressed deep concern over a growing trend where advocates are allegedly soliciting money from individuals in exchange for favorable judgments. Vincent Emmy Mugabo who described the actions by the advocates as unfortunate said it undermines the work of the judiciary emphasizing the importance of maintaining the integrity of the judicial system. The high court judge highlighted that such practices undermine the fundamental principles of justice, erode public trust, and tarnish the reputation of the legal profession.

The issue came to light during the District Chain-linked Committee held at Fort Portal court in Booma. The meeting was organized to make a review of the Fort Portal court’s performance and find ways of how best they can improve in areas where they are not doing well. In the report released by the Fort Portal Chief Magistrate Moses Nabenda, in the month of October, the chief magistrate’s court had a total of 1150 cases which were both criminal and civil, out of these, Nabenda reports that 144 cases were backlog. The Fort Portal Chief Magistrate also reveals that in the same month, his court was able to register 106 cases while his team was able to complete a total of 247 cases.

This according to him doubled the number of cases that had been reported. However, the justice Mugabo expressed deep concern over the escalating numbers of children held in the Fort Portal remand home and government prisons calling for urgent attention to address this growing crisis that raises serious questions about the welfare and future of the affected children.