State owned New Vision has apologised to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) over a story in which it stated that a top general had been linked to city robberies.
Last week, four UPDF soldiers were arrested following a foiled Fang Fang hotel robbery in Kampala.
The four – Corporal Majid Abbas, Lance Corporal Ivan Asiimwe, Private Joshua Chandini and army driver Ivan Opio – were arrested by the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) in collaboration with Special Forces Command (SFC).
According to UPDF spokesperson Brigadier Richard Karemire, investigations had commenced.
However, on Sunday, June 9, Sunday Vision published an ‘exclusive’ under the headline: ‘Top general linked to city robberies.’
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— New Vision UGANDA (@newvisionwire) June 8, 2019
Without giving names, the paper says the Internal Security Organization (ISO) reviewed the footage from Fang Fang Hotel identifying a number of top Generals as suspects.
Brig. Karemire was quick to announce that the story was malicious and ungrounded, adding that no General is a suspect in the mentioned case by the State-run paper.
“None of those soldier arrested by CMI was attached to any General. All the mentioned officers have since been charged and remanded but they are not connected to any General as reported by Sunday Vision. This is a malicious story moreover coming out on Heroes Day,” he told a local website.
On Monday morning, the New Vision officially apologised to the UPDF, saying ‘the paper strives to achieve accuracy in reporting and fairness in exercising editorial judgment.’
“We acknowledge that the available information did not warrant the headline and prominence we gave the story. We apologize to the army leadership for the inconvenience and particularly to the two-star Generals who may have been falsely perceived to be involved in criminal activity. Where there is a lapse we acknowledge our mistakes, take full responsibility for our actions, make amends with those who are offended and seek to improve our methods of work.”
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