Judges reject Sabiiti apology
Sep 06, 2006
THE Deputy Chief Justice, Laetitia Mukasa-Kikonyogo and Justice Remmy Kasule, have rejected Jack Sabiiti’s apology in respect of the bribery allegations he made against them.
By Hillary Nsambu
THE Deputy Chief Justice, Laetitia Mukasa-Kikonyogo and Justice Remmy Kasule, have rejected Jack Sabiiti’s apology in respect of the bribery allegations he made against them.
In their letters to Victoria Advocates, the lawyers for Sabiiti, Winnie Byanyima and the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), the judges demanded that Sabiiti pays them damages.
Sabiiti, Byanyima and the FDC wrote to the Chief Justice, requesting him to investigate the judges, saying the Government had paid them sh300m to influence judgments against FDC president Dr. Kiiza Besigye.
Sabiiti is the FDC treasurer, while Byanyima is Besigye’s wife and an FDC official.
In the letters dated September 5, the judges said besides the apology, Sabiiti must pay damages.
On August 23, Sabiiti apologised to the judges and requested that the matter be laid to rest.
“In our view, the accusations levelled against our client were completely false and of an extremely serious and scandalous nature. For that reason, any ordinary person bearing no ill will or malice to the plaintiff would have been expected not to report the matter to the Chief Justice before taking the trouble to establish its veracity.
“Sadly, by what appears to have been manifestly a malicious design, not only did the defendants omit to do so, but they have also exhibited a high degree of callousness and indifference to the character of the plaintiff before and since publishing the false allegations.â€
The judges said Sabiiti had taken months to apologise and the others had not even cared to do so.
“Therefore, in view of what is stated above, and having regard to the wide publicity, which the accusations received both in Uganda and outside, in the print and electronic media, we regret to say that our clients are unable to grant the prayer you made in the last paragraph of your letter that the matter be laid to rest.
“Instead, they insist that besides the apology, Sabiiti either by himself or jointly with Byanyima and the FDC must make an offer to pay reasonable compensation to them to atone for the serious damages they suffered.â€
Sabiiti was given five days within which to propose the amount of compensation, or face court action.
THE Deputy Chief Justice, Laetitia Mukasa-Kikonyogo and Justice Remmy Kasule, have rejected Jack Sabiiti’s apology in respect of the bribery allegations he made against them.
In their letters to Victoria Advocates, the lawyers for Sabiiti, Winnie Byanyima and the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), the judges demanded that Sabiiti pays them damages.
Sabiiti, Byanyima and the FDC wrote to the Chief Justice, requesting him to investigate the judges, saying the Government had paid them sh300m to influence judgments against FDC president Dr. Kiiza Besigye.
Sabiiti is the FDC treasurer, while Byanyima is Besigye’s wife and an FDC official.
In the letters dated September 5, the judges said besides the apology, Sabiiti must pay damages.
On August 23, Sabiiti apologised to the judges and requested that the matter be laid to rest.
“In our view, the accusations levelled against our client were completely false and of an extremely serious and scandalous nature. For that reason, any ordinary person bearing no ill will or malice to the plaintiff would have been expected not to report the matter to the Chief Justice before taking the trouble to establish its veracity.
“Sadly, by what appears to have been manifestly a malicious design, not only did the defendants omit to do so, but they have also exhibited a high degree of callousness and indifference to the character of the plaintiff before and since publishing the false allegations.â€
The judges said Sabiiti had taken months to apologise and the others had not even cared to do so.
“Therefore, in view of what is stated above, and having regard to the wide publicity, which the accusations received both in Uganda and outside, in the print and electronic media, we regret to say that our clients are unable to grant the prayer you made in the last paragraph of your letter that the matter be laid to rest.
“Instead, they insist that besides the apology, Sabiiti either by himself or jointly with Byanyima and the FDC must make an offer to pay reasonable compensation to them to atone for the serious damages they suffered.â€
Sabiiti was given five days within which to propose the amount of compensation, or face court action.