Accusations against LoP were not facts but my opinions - Saava tells court

• Saava is in court answering defamation charges after alleging that Mr Ssenyonyi misappropriated Shs 1.7 billion
• Saava sought to distance himself from some of his allegations about Mr Ssenyonyi, claiming they were mere comments and expressions of opinion rather than statements of fact
• A social media campaign under the hashtag 'SsenyonyiMustResign' has been trending, with Saava being one of the masterminds

The former NTV reporter is in court answering defamation charges, following a string of corruption allegations he made against the LoP.

Among others, he claimed that Mr Ssenyonyi misappropriated Shs 1.7 billion using his position as a parliamentary sectoral committee head.

He also threatened to release evidence supporting these claims.

However, in a response filed at the High Court, Saava sought to distance himself from some of his allegations

Saava told the court that the statements he made about Mr Ssenyonyi, if any, “must not have been statements of facts, but mere comments.”

Through his lawyers, Saava further described his allegation as “an expression of an opinion rather than an assertion of fact.”

“The comment was fair and the matter commented about was in the public interest,” he added

Ssenyonyi in the lawsuit accuses Saava of injuring his reputation and exposing him to hatred, contempt and ridicule.

A social media campaign under the hashtag “SsenyonyiMustResign” has been trending over the past weeks with Mr Saava as one of the masterminds.

Saava admitted having been behind the group of people who on 21st July dropped piglets painted with the names of Mr Ssenyonyi at the head offices of the opposition National Unity Platform.

The party leadership under President Bobi Wine, however, has stood behind Ssenyonyi, challenging those pushing corruption allegations to adduce the evidence.