Uganda's opposition party whose leader Kizza Besigye is facing a treason trial has questioned the involvement of a British law firm hired by the government, according to the state-owned Sunday Vision.

Besigye, the main rival of the just sworn-in incumbent Yoweri Museveni in the February 23 elections, is being tried for treason charges after the court dropped other charges including rape and illegal possession of firearms in March.

Denton Wilde Sapte, a British law firm, is being dragged into the controversy surrounding the Kampala Associated Advocates (KAA), a private Ugandan law firm which was hired last week to prosecute Besigye, president of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) on treason charges.

The British law firm is now facing a petition for breaching international conventions against profiteering, for earning big from the Besigye case. The lawyers were hired at a cost of 2.5 billion Ugandan shillings (1.38 million U.S. dollars).

The FDC is preparing a petition to compel the UK law firm to answer legal and ethical questions for its affiliation with KAA.

Beti Kamya, FDC Special Envoy, was quoted as saying the party was going to file a petition in the British Parliament to have Denton Wilde Sapte explain why they are prosecuting in a case which leads to the death penalty, which was abolished in Britain.

"We are going to petition the English and Welsh Law Society whether it's in order for one of their members to profiteer from Ugandan taxpayers' money," he added.

KAA has defended President Museveni's election victory against a petition lodged by Besigye in the Supreme Court. Kabatsi, a senior partner in the firm, described FDC's actions as complete garbage.

"They can dream of whatever action they want to take, but they will not get anywhere in trying to block a client from choosing a law firm," he said, noting that Besigye was defended by private lawyers and that the government equally has a right to hire private lawyers.

On profiteering, Kabatsi said this is not the first time the government is hiring a private law firm, citing the case in the General Court Martial concerning ghost soldiers, in which the government hired another big law firm.

Source: Xinhua