Court Set to Decide on Bail for ‘Red Pepper’ Staff 

Buganda Road chief magistrate James Mawanda Eremye is expected to deliver a ruling on a bail application filed in court by five Directors and Editors of the ‘Red Pepper’ news tabloid.

In the last sitting, Abdul Salaam Waiswa the prosecutor from Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) had asked court not to grant bail to the applicants on claiming that they failed to prove that they have fixed places of abode within the jurisdiction of the court since they never attached any document to prove this.

The prosecutor accompanied it with an affidavit sworn by Detective A/CP Okecho Isaac who stated that investigations were still underway and that releasing them would interfere with the investigations.

However, in response to this, the defense counsels led by Max Mutabingwa asked court not to base on these allegations. They argued that the mere fact that the state searched the applicants’ places of residence and it was indicated on charge sheet showed that their addresses of abode were known clearly.

He added that since the acussed have not been convicted, they can not be treated as convicts who committed a serious offence as alleged by prosecution.

The five were arrested on November 21 after the ‘Red Pepper’ published a story alleging that President Yoweri Museveni together with his brother, Gen Salim Saleh and Security Minister, Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde were plotting to overthrow Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame.

They are charged with offensive communication, defamation and publishing information prejudicial to national security.