The State has finalised a robust plan to remand incarcerated Red Pepper directors and editors to Luzira prison next week, this website has learnt.
A section of irked high ranking regime officials are working on a sinister plan to have the eight jailed Pepper Publications Limited bosses produced in court, and treason charges quickly read to them before they are remanded to Luzira.
According to sources well conversant with this plot, the eight will not be allowed to enter plea.
Early last week, the Police preferred treason charges against the five directors and the three editors.
The other charges preferred against them were; offensive communication and disturbing the peace of President Yoweri Museveni, security minister Henry Tumukunde and Gen. Salim Saleh.
The Red Pepper directors include Richard Tusiime, James Mujuni, Arinaitwe Rugyendo, Patrick Mugumya and Johnson Musinguzi Byarabaha.
The editors are Ben Byarabaha, Francis Tumusiime and Richard Kintu.
They are all detained at Nalufenya Prison in Jinja where the government officials want them quickly produced in court, read out the treason charges and sent to Luzira on remand.
This, if all goes according to plan, will be effected this coming week.
This website understands the said top government officials are ‘using any means possible’ to influence the Director of Public Prosecutions who retains the final say on the charges suspects face after the submission of files by police.
According to section 37 (1) of the Penal Code Act (Cap.120), a person who publishes or causes to be published in a book, newspaper, magazine, article or any other printed matter, information regarding military operations, strategies, troop location or movement, location of military supplies or equipment of the armed forces or of the enemy, which publication is likely to— (a) endanger the safety of any military installations, equipment or supplies or of the members of the armed forces of Uganda; (b) assist the enemy in its operations; or (c) disrupt public order and security, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years.
The Red Pepper bosses were arrested on Tuesday evening following the publication of a story titled “M7 plotting to overthrow Kagame – Rwanda” on November 20, 2017.
Meanwhile family relatives who visited the suspects on Sunday say there were fears for Chief Marketing Officer Arinaitwe Rugyendo’s health after his blood pressure levels exceeded normal last evening.
Thankfully prison authorities were alerted by Chief Finance Officer Johnson Musinguzi, who shares a cell with Rugyendo.
Chief Executive Officer Tusiime and Chief Commercial Officer Mujuni share a cell while Chief Operations Officer Mugumya is incarcerated with the three editors.