From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 10:53 AM
UGANDAN NEWSPAPER IS FINED USHS 100 MILLION FOR DEFAMING GADHAFI IN SEXUALSCANDAL BETWEEN HIM AND THE QUEEN MOTHER OF TORO.
Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.
THE Disciplinary Committee of the Media Council of Uganda has imposed a heavy fine of USD 50,million {Ushs 100 million}on the Red Pepper, a local tabloid, for defaming the Libyan strongman Col Muamor El-Gadhafi for alleged involving himself in love affair between him and the Queen Mother of Toro Bes Kemigisa.
The disciplinary Committee also ordered the local tabloid to pay Gadhafi USD 50,000 million {Ushs 95 million} and another USD 5 million to the Libyan Arab Peoples Bureau, with the same prominence as the contentious article before November 30th this year.
The Libyan Embassy in Kqmpala had lodged the complaints to the Media Council of Uganda regarding about 10 series of articles published between February 5 and 19 this year, detailing an alleged love affair between the two dignitaries, the NEWVISIO reported in its news items posted to its website online this morning
The Embassy had asked the Media Council to suspend the practicing license of the Red Pepper editor, accusing it of acting unprofessionally and maliciously for selfish gain.
The articles in question, the complaints said, injured Col Gadhafi’s reputation and angered Libyans, thereby endangering relations between Uganda and Libya.
“The publications were false, malicious and have caused injury to the name of Libyan Head of State,Col Gadhafi”, the Libyan Ambassador to Uganda Mr.Abdullah Bunjeldin said.
They portrayed the Libyan head of state as morally corrupt. The articles were intended to portray Gadhafi as a morally bankrupt person who is promiscuous and middles in people’s affairs.
The Libyana envoy said Red Pepper publications was widely circulated in Uganda and across the world via Internet. As a result, the articles were also picked up by the BBC radio and television and Radio France for their world wide broadcasting network.
The NEWVISION says in its online report that these articles had disturbed Gadhafi to such an extent that he called his Ugandan counterpart, President Museveni, to complain, the Libyan envoy said, adding that the stories had undermined the hitherto warm and cordial Ugandan-Libyan diplomatic ties
The articles also threatened the USD 500 million Libyan investment in Uganda. The investment include Tamoil Uganda,Oil Libya, Uganda Telecom, National Housing and Construction Corporation, Lake Victoria Hotel and the Tripoli Bank.
The Ambassador denied that Gadhafi gave the Toro Queen Mother a plane, saying the Libyan laws do not allow him{Gadhafi} giving public property as gifts. He said the Red Pepper doctored photographs to suit the paper’s malicious intentions.
The Red Pepper did not bring any witnesses. Their lawyer, Mr Maxim Matibingwa only made oral submissions, stating “it is impossible for anyone to know the relations between two people”.
In its ruling, the Disciplinary Committee wondered how the Red Pepper so authoritatively publish articles when it has admitted it could not establish the truth.
The Disciplinary Committee Secretary, Mr. Paul Mukasa said the Ugandan constitution guaranteed the freedom of the press. but these should not prejudice the public interest.
He Committee ruled that th articles that he tabloid engaged in “gross indiscipline” and caused injury to Gadhafi..
The Rd Pepper did not attend the ruling session.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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Subject: Ugandan newspaper is fined USHS 100 million over alleged Gadhafi sex scandal
Good for Uganda…at least their Disciplinary Committee is working Kenya is still trying to digest the many Lawyers who have been stealing peoples money and the judges who have been allowing this to happen. Kisumu is notorious for this , lawyers with fake degrees just like the doctors who were caught with fake degrees. How about we build a big huge jail in the lodwar area…have a special one for the corrupt lawyer like the one who sold someones land to an indian and insists that it is theirs,though the guy in the US is the rightful owner and this guy even appears on the mars group corruption list and he is active and still practicing . There are many indians in Kisumu who have been grabbing land for years because of rogue lawyers ..can you do advice us on this? The judiciary reform has begun, but we need to name the rogue lawyers in the advocates roll . It is disgusting what they are doing in the name of the law. Good Uganda will hold people accountable.