Police is under the spotlight for mismanaging investigations into a criminal assault case filed by journalist Edward Bindhe against National Resistance Movement party spokesperson Rogers Mulindwa.
Masaka Grade One Magistrate Adams Byarugaba on Tuesday acquitted Mulindwa of assault and malicious damage to property, charges brought against him in 2015 when he is said to have assaulted Bindhe.
The magistrate, however, ruled that police failed in its duty of investigating the matter to the detriment of the victim.
Although the complainant presented five witnesses including a medical doctor from Masaka Regional Referral Hospital to prove his case, Court ruled that the file had a lot of glaring mistakes and contradictions, a direct implication that police did not give it the deserving attention.
Court wondered why such a high-profile case took police a year and two months to begin investigations. Court also faulted Police for failure to exhibit the broken eye glasses even when the victim says he presented them on the same day he reported the matter.
On May 12th, 2015 Mulindwa assaulted Bindhe, while the journalist attempted to cover the NRM regional leadership conference at Garden Courts Hotel in Masaka Municipality. The conference was presided over by the NRM party Secretary General Justine Kasule Lumumba.
