Buganda Road Court Magistrate Samuel Kagoda has dismissed a case against five Red Pepper directors and three editors, who were last year charged with offending the person of the President.
The Magistrate on Tuesday dismissed the case after the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Mike Chibita withdrew the charges and the accused persons declared free.
The accused included Richard Tusiime, Johnson Musinguzi, Patrick Mugumya, and Arinatiwe Rugyendo, ichard Kintu, Ben Byarabaha, Francis Tumusiime and James Mujuni.
Court had adjourned the matter to 27th March 2018 (Today) after state prosecutor Abdul Salim Waiswa, who is representing Uganda Communications Commission UCC, failed again to turn up for the hearing on March 15.
Background
Red Pepper bosses were in November 2017 charged with seven counts including; publication of information prejudicial to security, libel and offensive communication, among others.
The accused appeared before the Buganda Road Court Chief magistrate James Ereemye Mawanda and denied the charges.
A prosecutor from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC); Mr Abdul -Salam Waiswa handled the case on behalf of the striking state prosecutors.
Prosecution stated that on November 20, 2017 at the Red pepper offices in Namanve, Mukono District, the accused unlawfully caused publication and distribution of a newspaper headline regarding the military operations, strategies and troop location well knowing that such publication can disrupt public Order and security.
The accused are also said to have caused publication and distribution of newspaper story lines that injured the reputations of President Museveni, his brother Gen Salim Saleh and security minister Lt.Gen Henery Tumukunde, which publication allegedly subjected the three people to hatred, contempt and ridicule.
The accused are further said to have wilfully and repeatedly used their computers for no legitimate purposes to disturb the peace and privacy of Mr Museveni , Gen Saleh and Lt Gen Tumukunde by portraying them as people who plotted to overthrow the president of the Republic of Rwanda.
They remanded to Luzira Prison until December 19, 2018 when Court granted them bail.
