KAMPALA: CBS case: Government withdraws Court of Appeal petition

By ANTHONY WESAKA.

The government has withdrawn a petition it filed before the Court of Appeal, challenging a the dismissal of a suit it had filed against the Central Broadcasting Service Radio (CBS), accusing it of inciting violence during the September 2009 riots.

The government filed the counter suit after employees of CBS radio sued the government, seeking Shs3 billion in compensation. They argued that the “unjustifiable” closure had rendered them jobless. However, on August 2010, High Court Judge Vincent Zehurikize dismissed the government’s suit. He said authority to take disciplinary action against any media house lies with the Media Council, not the government.

Appearing before Justice Stella Arach Amoko last week, Principal State Attorney Patricia Mutesi said:“ My Lord, I have filed a notice to withdrawal the appeal.”

In an interview with this newspaper yesterday, Ms Mutesi declined to reveal the grounds for the withdrawal of the appeal. She said: “It is now the duty of CBS lawyers to push their matter to have it fixed and heard.”

Prof. Fredrick Ssempebwa, one of the lawyers who represents CBS Radio in court, when contacted yesterday said: “.....We are following this matter and we shall soon have a date fixed for it to be heard.”

Prof. Ssempebwa also explained that the matter had stalled while in the pre-hearing stage due to technicalities, adding that when the matter is finally fixed by the registrar of the High Court, it would go into full hearing.

Source: Daily Monitor (02/04/2013): http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/CBS-case--government-withdraws-Court-of-Appeal-petition/-/688334/1736368/-/3pkri3z/-/index.html