KAMPALA, UGANDA: Kole North Member of Parliament Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti has issued a demand notice to Daily Monitor asking the publication to apologize over a story on the shs 40m cash given to MPs ahead of Tuesday’s National Budget reading.
In the article published on June 15th, 2022 titled, ‘MPs get 40m each in fresh budget deal’ available both in print version and online, Daily Monitor wrote that Parliament dished out the shs 40m cash to each of the 529 lawmakers to approve a supplementary budget request, which according to the MP is untrue as he has never received any such amount.
Acting through his lawyers Kalikumutima & Co. Advocates, MP Acuti says the story run by Monitor was untrue and falsified, and therefore, they should retract it with an apology to him.
“We draw your attention to the false and misleading headline story that was run in the Daily Monitor Newspaper dated 15th June 2022 titled, ‘MPs get 40m each in fresh budget deal. Our client categorically states that he has never received the abovementioned money. Thus, your article is false and misleading,” a one-page notice dated June 15th seen by this website partly reads.
According to the MP’s lawyers, the story which was widely circulated and read countrywide has generated hatred among his constituents portraying him as unethical and a corrupt legislator.
“As a result of your publication, our client has been shunned, subjected to hatred, contempt and ridicule by his constituents who have always held him in high regard. This has greatly infringed on his inherent right to reputation and has caused him to suffer severe mental anguish. This kind of reporting is unfortunate, speculative, unacceptable, and vulgarises the best standards and practices of reporting,” the notice adds.
The lawyers, therefore, demand an apology from Monitor on behalf of their client, failure of which will lead to legal proceedings filed against the Nation Media Group-owned publication.
“We hereby “DEMAND” that you provide our client with a written apology for the false and misleading publication on the front page as a headline within two (2) working days. The said apology should run for 4 days. In the event that you do not comply with this demand, be informed that we have instructions to institute legal proceedings against you at your own cost and peril,” the MP’s lawyer warned the publication.
Below is the full-page notice
The development comes at a time when Parliament has come out to distance itself from disbanding any amount to the MP’s account as earlier reported.
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