KAMPALA — City businessman Robert Kabonero has instituted proceedings of defamation and libel against Mbarara City North Member of Parliament, Robert Rukaari Mwesigwa.
Mr. Kabonero is protesting the invitation of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU) by MP the to investigate allegations that the businessman was involved in his arrest in March, which the MP says was an abuse of court process.
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Through his lawyers MMAKS Advocates, Mr. Kabonero is demanding UGX. 500 million in damages among others, and wants court to restrain Mr. Rukaari from publishing defamatory statements against him.
“A permanent injunction restraining the Defendant whether by himself or his servants or agents or otherwise from further publishing or causing to be published the said or similar words defamatory of the Plaintiff,” Mr Kabonero says.
MP Rukaari said on Saturday morning that he was aware of the suit.
“Yes, it’s true, I have been served. I have instructed my lawyers and we are preparing the appropriate response to the plataitiff’s averments,” he said.
In his letter to the head of the State House Ant-Corruption Unit, whose contents are quoted in Mr, Kabonero’s pleadings before court, MP Rukaari, who also doubles as the ruling NRM party chairman of the Entrepreneurs League, alleges that Mr. Kabonero, a prominent Kampala businessman worked with a controversial court bailiff Moses Kirunda to effect his arrest.
“I am in receipt of information including confessions, that Mr Robert Kabonero continuously called Moses Kirunda to orchestrate my arrest and detention, intentionally to annoy, embarrass and ridicule my person as a Member of Parliament,” Mr Mwesigwa’s letter reads in part.
“My appeal to you is to establish the criminal intention of the person in question and whether the state-engineered my arrest and incarceration to Luzira when the Judgment Creditor had security against the debt with an estimated value of Shs3.8 billion,” Mwesigwa’s petition further reads.
The legislator was arrested on March 1 after the court issued an arrest warrant over his alleged failure to pay the business debt. He however clarifies that this was an arrangement with his business partner Gerald Kalungi, which did not warrant state involvement.
The MP was later seen in a video with tycoon Godfrey Kirumira, the father of Mr Kalungi in which Mr Kirumira is filmed condemning the high handedness of his lawyers, who he said took unnecessary steps to arrest the MP. Mr Kirumira apologized to the MP, who he says is his longtime business partner.
