Police ordered to close Monitor editors’ case

Prosecution was also questioned as to whether it is intentionally delaying hearing of the case.

Kampala

Court has asked the police officer investigating the case in which two Daily Monitor editors are accused of forging President Museveni’s letter to speed up investigations and have the case heard.

“Court asks the investigating officer to close the case,” said Grade I Magistrate Rosemary Bareebe.
Mr Daniel Kalinaki, the managing editor and Henry Ochieng, the political editor, on Monday appeared before Makindye Magistrate’s Court and had their bail extended to April 27.
The court order stems from a request made by the journalists’ lawyer that the matter has dragged on for so long since July last year. The lawyer added that every time the case comes up, prosecution tells court that investigations are still ongoing and yet the journalists have continued to report to court.
Prosecution was also questioned as to whether it is intentionally delaying hearing of the case.

This was the fourth mention of the case after the editors were charged on August 21, 2009 with forgery after publishing contents of a leaked presidential letter that appeared in the Sunday Monitor of August 2.
Prosecution alleges that the editors forged Mr Museveni’s letter titled, ‘Guidance on the Banyoro/Bafuruki Question’, by altering it when they used the word Bahima instead of Bahuma. They denied the charges.