Kampala, Uganda: Next Media Services has hit back at Uganda Law Society President, Isaac Ssemakadde, saying it is unfazed by his threats of legal action over a recent NBS investigative report linking him to a $840,000 gold scam.
In a strongly worded response addressed to Ssemakadde’s legal representatives of Mukiibi & Kyeyune Advocates, on Tuesday, May 6, the media conglomerate, through its Chief Legal and Regulatory Compliance Officer, Obadia Ismail, dismissed the legal notice of intention to sue and welcomed the prospect of a court battle.
“Actori incumbit onus probandi; the burden of proof lies on the accuser,” the response read, quoting the Latin legal maxim. “Whether success follows is another matter altogether. PLEASE SUE!”
The terse reply from the Naguru-based station referenced a May 6 intention-to-sue notice filed by Ssemakadde through Mukiibi & Kyeyune Advocates, accusing NBS Television of defamation, privacy violations, and unethical journalism in its May 5 #NBSInvestigates exposé titled “Bang the Gold: Radical New Gold Scam.”
The investigative report that aired Monday, 05, 2025, at 9 pm, detailed how American investor Robert Turner allegedly wired $840,000 to a Stanbic Bank account registered to Maxim Advocates, a law firm where Ssemakadde is a partner, for a supposed gold transaction.
Of that amount, the station claimed (based on bank statements and transactions) that $750,000 was reportedly diverted to one Mohamed Abdi Rashid, a Somalian refugee and known figure in prior gold fraud scandals.
The exposé further claimed the transaction was fraudulent and linked Ssemakadde to a broader syndicate exploiting Uganda’s weakly regulated gold sector.
But in his Tuesday legal notice to Next Media and its Chief Executive Kin Kariisa, Ssemakadde denied any wrongdoing as implicated in the report and demanded Shs11 billion in damages, a full retraction, and an on-air apology.
The ULS chief also accused NBS of airing unverified allegations, illegally publishing private bank records and conversations, and misusing his image and voice to fuel a “sensationalist narrative.” But, the response from Next Media makes it clear that the broadcaster is not backing down.
Legal observers and analysts argue the standoff between Ssemakadde and the station has now set the stage for a courtroom showdown that could test the boundaries between investigative journalism, data privacy, and reputational harm in Uganda’s media landscape.
By press time on Wednesday, Ssemakadde was yet to issue a formal reply to the “PLEASE SUE!” challenge, but sources close to his legal team say preparations for a defamation suit are underway, while public commentary on this prospective legal battle takes precedence on social media platform X.
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