MONITOR EDITORS’ CASE TO BE DECIDED TODAY

Mr Kalinaki (L) and Mr Ochieng appear before the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Makindye in May last year. FILE PHOTO

Kampala, January, 30^th/2012; A City Magistrates Court will today determine whether or not two Daily Monitor editors should defend themselves over allegations of forging President Museveni’s letter on the Bunyoro/Bafuruki land question.

Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court is set to deliver the ruling a month after prosecution completed its testimony. In December last year, the State led by prosecutor Samali Wakholi, closed its case against Mr Daniel Kalinaki, the managing editor, and Mr Henry Ochieng, the political editor.

The trial Chief Magistrate, Ms. Joyce Kavuma, set January 30 for the court to rule on whether or not the two journalists have a case to answer. The court ruling comes more than two years after the journalists were arrested and charged in court.

Witnesses

Five prosecution witnesses, including former minister in-charge of the Presidency, Beatrice Wabudeya and the private secretary to the President in-charge of legal affairs, Ms. Joyce Kabatsi, testified in the case.

Other witnesses are: Mr Milton Birungi, the detective in-charge of the case, and Mr Dan Munanura, an officer in the police website and communications department.

Allegations

Prosecution alleges that the editors between July 31, 2009, and August 2, 2009, at the Monitor Publications Ltd offices in Kampala, despite publishing the correct content of the letter on the newspaper’s website on July 31, subsequently forged the same letter by way of introducing alterations in the Sunday Monitor of August 2, 2009 titled: ‘Museveni’s letter on Bunyoro land question’.

However, Mr Kalinaki and Mr Ochieng, represented by Mr James Nangwala, deny the charge. In the letter, President Museveni was proposing the ring-fencing of elective political positions in Bunyoro for natives who are outnumbered by immigrants. The editors deny the allegations.

The case. Daily Monitor editors Daniel Kalinaki and Henry Ochieng are accused of forging President Museveni letter on the Bunyoro/Bafuruki land question.


Published by



http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1316368/-/b1dxjlz/-/index.html