Kampala. A courtroom that reeks of stale sweat and fear. A lawyer, shackled, facing treason charges.
The government calls it national security. British diplomats call it something else: a Kremlin-linked assault on the rule of law. Sources confirm the lawyer, whose name I am withholding until his family is safe, was arrested after filing a case against a Russian mining company.
Documents I have seen show the firm has deep ties to Kremlin-linked oligarchs. The British High Commission has issued a statement warning of 'judicial abuse' and 'political interference'. They are not alone.
Other diplomats are quietly alarmed. This is not a local squabble. It is a strategic play.
Moscow is buying influence in Africa. Uganda is for sale. The lawyer is a pawn, but the game is bigger.
Follow the money. It always leads back to a suit in London or a dacha outside Moscow. The trial starts next week.
I will be there. Marcus Stone. This is a countdown to a scandal.
Tick. Tock.
