NUP’s Mathias Mpuuga Threatens To Drag Daily Monitor To Court Over Defamatory Story, Demands UGX 200M Compensation
The Leader of Opposition Hon Mathias Mpuuga has threatened to drag Daily Monitor to court over what he termed as an ‘alleged defamatory’ article that has since tarnished his good name.
Through his lawyers, Lukwago & Co.Advocates, Mpuuga notes that the article published by Monitor newspaper on Tuesday claimed that he was involved in backdoor meetings that resulted in the Bail of National Unity Platform(NUP) Members of Parliament Allan Ssewanyana and Muhammad Ssegirinya, which he said was baseless and meant tarnish his name.
The publication is said to have also claimed that Mpuuga first met State prosecutors and Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among, her Deputy, Thomas Tayebwa, and a team of security officials and after a long talk, negotiations were made and the MPs were released.
”Our investigations reveal a complex web of secret talks powered by Parliament’s top leadership and in which the Leader of Opposition played a key role reportedly outside of [NUP President] Bobi Wine’s purview leading to a deal-making meeting last month between the accused lawmakers and a senior government executive, expected to soon result in the freedom of National Unity Platform party supporters being tried by the Army Court,” Monitor allegedly published.
”Despite the official denial, the role of Mr Mpuuga in the talks manifested in public when it emerged that he had attended a closed-door meeting that Mr Tayebwa convened with security and intelligence chiefs. The fate of the incarcerated lawmakers and other NUP supporters was a top agendum, multiple sources said.” the publication added.
Now in an intention to sue notice, Mpuuga accuses the Daily monitor of tarnishing his name and labelling him as an incompetent leader through ‘fabricated stories’ against him and wants the paper to retract the story and issue an apology to him and also pay him over UGX 200 million in compensation.
“TAKE NOTICE THAT, by reason of the said defamatory publication, our client who has at all material times been a highly respected person, whose record in public service is beyond reproach, has been greatly injured in his credit, reputation and generally subjected to untold psychological torture,” the notice states in part adding;
“Our Client demands that you apologize to him and retract the said fallacious and malicious publication in your Newspaper and in the same way highlight it as you published the defamatory story and pay damages of UGX. 200 000 000/. (Two hundred Million Shillings) with 10% thereof on account of costs.”
Mpuuga has given the Newspaper a week to heed his warning or otherwise he institutes legal proceedings against it.
“Should you fail to comply within Seven (7) days from the date hereof, we shall have no option but to commence legal proceedings against you to your detriment.”
