[Ugnet] Just Deny All, Katureebe Tells Museveni

Kaguta has never been concerned about telling the thruth...the thruth, however, will eventually catch up with him. It always does!

It is July 31, 2001 and President Yoweri Museveni is in a meeting with his Attorney General, Bert Katureebe.

Also present is his senior advisor of public relations, His Impetuousness John Nagenda.

Subject:

Former Greenland Bank managing director, Sulaiiman Kiggundu, has given a deposition in court in which he has accused the president, his brother and son of turning the state into veritable treasure-trove for family enrichment.

A lawyer is always a lawyer, and so Katureebe advises that the president's best option is to deny ever having talked to Kiggundu about selling and buying UCB. Katurebe's analysis is that if push came to shove, it is the word of Kiggundu against the word of Museveni.

"Kiggundu has proven himself a liar before," opines the Attorney General.

"He has even lied under oath. In such circumstances, Mr. President, your word is better believed than Kigundu's."

"No, no, no," President Museveni interjects opening his eyes wide and waving his hand in disagreement, "I cannot lie like that. I cannot deny in public something I did in private."

"Mr. President this is a question of evidence, which Kiggundu does not have since your conversations were verbal, and also a question of believability where your word can be more trusted than Kiggundu's," Katureebe shoots back.

President Museveni cannot take it. "I disagree with you for a number of reasons, Katureebe," the President insists, "you treat this matter as legal, I treat it as political. So it is not a question of evidence and believability in the legal sense. It is a question of my integrity as a leader."

Museveni tells Katureebe that as President, he has called many a bank manager and asked them to give loans to his friends.

"For example I have ever called Frank Mwine when he was at UCB to give a loan to this Nagenda here," the President reveals, "What will all these people think of me if I stand in public and deny that as president it is 'unethical' for me to do such a thing."

"I agree with the President," Nagenda chips in, "I do not think he should tell lies because... "

He does not finish the sentence because President Museveni, interjects pensively, "In any case," the President says referring to Katureebe, "you talk of Kiggundu not having evidence. How sure can I be that he was not recording our telephone conversations? What if he brings such recording in court, how would I look like?"

Katureebe is cornered, so Nagenda makes his pitch. But what does the veritable media and public relations senior advisor have to say about this?

Next week in Strange But True!!

[Ugnet] Just Deny All, Katureebe Tells Museveni

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