German accused of sexual abuse in Uganda granted bail

The High Court in Uganda has granted bail to a German national accused of child sexual abuse and trafficking.

Bernhard Bery Glaser has also been given leave to travel, and is expected to report back to the court in July.

Mr Glaser, who was arrested in February 2019, is charged with 28 counts of aggravated child trafficking and rape against a number of girls, at a shelter he and his wife run in the island district of Kalangala, near the capital, Kampala.

They said the centre took care of girls who were survivors of sexual violence.

There have been several stops and starts to the case, as Mr Glaser, requested a Flemish interpreter, saying he did not understand English or German.

He also asked court to grant him bail so he could travel to Belgium for cancer treatment.

The prosecution had appealed against the bail and leave of travel, for fear that this would further stall the case. But his lawyers argued that he was too ill to stand trial.

Mr Glaser had previously been arrested in 2013 for similar crimes committed against two minors, but the case was dismissed for lack of evidence.