According to Agaba’s lawyers, any right-thinking person would think that the statement by Ofwono Opondo meant that their client is impersonating the Director of Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board or holds out as the same which is false.
The interdicted Chief Executive Officer of Lotteries and Gaming
Regulatory Board, Edgar Gerald Agaba has dragged the Government Spokesperson
Ofwono Opondo to court for defamation.
Agaba in his suit before the High Court Civil Division in Kampala is accusing
Opondo for uttering defamatory statements against him while addressing
journalists at Media Centre on October 23rd, 2019.
Opondo reportedly said that despite being interdicted by the Finance Minister
Matia Kasaija, he continued to hold the office as the Chief Executive Officer
of Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board.
Through his lawyers of Davis Wesley and Company Advocates, Agaba states that
the said defamatory statements was aired on Sanyu FM, a local radio station and
the same was published in the Government newspaper, New Vision.
According to Agaba’s lawyers, any right-thinking person would think that the statement
by Ofwono Opondo meant that their client is impersonating the Director of
Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board or holds out as the same which is false.
“By the words uttered by the Defendant(Opondo) on the aforementioned occasions
are not only false but also appear to be motivated by ill motives completely
outside known official government communications”, reads the document in part.
On October 28, Agaba, through his lawyers served Opondo with an intention to
sue in which they demanded him to make a public apology for his statements and
also pay him a compensation of shillings 200 million in seven days for damages
caused to him.
Opondo, however, failed to comply prompting a civil suit against him where
Agaba is seeking a retraction of the statement, permanent injunction stopping
Opondo from making defamatory statements against him. Agaba also seeks court to
compel Opondo to pay him general damages for inconveniences caused to him.
On July 4th, Agaba was arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court Chief
Magistrate Pamela Lamunu together with John Patrick Kazoora the Manager in
Charge of Finance Administration for embezzling more than 700 million
shillings.
The prosecution alleges that Agaba and Kazoora and others still at large
between October 17th, 2018 and February 14th, 2019 at their offices in Kampala
stole 710 million shillings by the virtue of the offices they held.
The duo reportedly approved and forwarded requisition documents of shillings
470 million to the Ministry of Finance purporting the same to be paid for Hotel
Services. The services were reportedly rendered during the sensitization of
Kampala Central Division technical staff for four days yet the same had been
conducted for only one day. In the circumstances government reportedly lost 352
million shillings.
Also, it is alleged that they caused another loss to the government when
they requested for 480 million shillings to sensitize Boda Boda riders from
Kawempe Division for four days but only did it once and shillings 360 million
was stolen.
They have since denied the charges and been interdicted by Minister of Finance
and Economic Development Matia Kasaija on July 19th, 2019.
Kukunda Judith
Davidson Ndyabahika
Freelancer