The Parilamennt of Uganda has declared it’s intentions to drag Observe Newspaper to courts of law over defamation and character assassination.
Parliament through the speaker Anita Among made the threat on Wednesday 24th April 2024,during the plenary session as she ordered the parliament legal Department to sue Observer Newspaper for publishing a story alleging that some members of Parliament engaged in bribery acts.
According to the story which was published by observer on Wednesday 24th April 2024, alleged that some MPs recieved bribes from external agencies in order to save them from being abolished or mainstreamed back to their mother Ministries.
“These allegations of saying MPs were bribed must stop. Nobody was bribed. People did legislation on their own. How can you bribe the whole house who are willing to even put up their hands to vote?” Among partly said.
The Speaker went on to address The Observer’s claims, asserting that no MPs were involved in any corrupt activities during the decision-making process. She strongly denied any allegations of bribery and criticized the newspaper for tarnishing the integrity of the parliamentarians.
“It is absolutely unfair to question my members’ integrity. No member was bribed to oppose the RAPEX bills. Whatever decisions were made, they were a result of consensus among all members,” Speaker Among explained.
The Parliament’s Legal Department has been instructed to take immediate action and initiate legal proceedings against The Observer for disseminating falsehoods and tarnishing the reputation of MPs. The lawsuit aims to uphold the integrity of Parliament and defend its members against baseless allegations.
The allegations made by The Observer have caused a stir among Ugandans, leading to increased public scrutiny of Parliament and its decision-making processes. Speaker Among reiterated that every decision taken by the Parliament is made with the best interests of the Ugandan people at heart, particularly concerning the RAPEX bills.
