The High Court judge Musa Ssekana has ordered Daily Monintor to pay Permanent Secretary(PS) Puis Bigirimana shs. 450 million as costs in a ruling he delivered on Friday morning.
Mr Bigirimana filed a lawsuit for general damages for defamation to shs.1billion and exemplary damages of Shs.900 million.
In addition he sought an order compelling the defendants to publish an apology in the said newspapers and online news channel and a permanent injunction restraining the defendants and their agents, editors and publishers from making, publishing and circulating any further defamatory stories him.
The case was taken before Hon Justice Ssekaana Musa in the High Court of Uganda.
According to Mr.Bigirimana, between the year 2012 and 2015, numerous malicious, spiteful, untrue and defamatory publications were made against him in the Daily Monitor, Saturday Monitor and Sunday Monitor.
The said publications have been injurious to the person of Mr.Bigirimana.
Some of them include ‘Auditors target Bigirimana in cash probe; a publication of 14th October 2012’, ‘MPs order Government to remove Bigirimana; a publication of 2nd November 2012’,’Bigirimana contradicts himself on purchase of Ministers’ cars; a publication of 30th November 2012’, ‘Bigirimana’s wife acquires Shs.250 million Mercedes Benz’, and ‘Corruption Ledger; a publication of 10th March 2013’ among very many other publications within the said time frame.
“The plaintiff contended that the different stories portrayed him as; a smart criminal who was untouchable in any circumstances; an embattled civil servant who made illicit expenditure on OPM funds; a person who thrives on State House pampering and patronage and a person who obstructs police investigations and above all a liar,” noted the learned judge in his judgement.
No efforts were made on the defendant’s’ part to reach out to Bigirimana to verify the veracity of the allegations in spite of his being easily accessible. The Monitor publications admit publishing the words therein but deny their being false or defamatory of the plaintiff, Mr Bigirimana.
The learned judge said the right to reputation is acknowledged as an inherent personal right of every person.
“A man’s reputation is his property and perhaps more valuable than any other property. Indeed, if we reflect on the degree of suffering occasioned by a loss of character and compare it with that occasioned by loss of property, the amount of injury by defamation far exceeds that loss of property,” said the judge.
According to him, the publications were made with the intention of tilting public opinion against Pius Bigirimana and portray him as a corrupt person under the wings of the government.
As such, the plaintiff, Pius Bigirimana has been awarded general damages of Shs.350 million, exemplary damages of Shs.100 million, an apology from the defendants, a permanent injunction against them and costs of the suit.