Opposition leader's wife to stand trial for libel

The wife of Ugandan opposition leader Kiiza Besigye and a legislator from his party are to stand trial in February for alleging that President Yoweri Museveni bribed court officials. Winnie Byanyima and Jack Sabiiti, a senior member of Besigye's Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), were on Tuesday indicted on charges of libel and giving false information. They are accused of defaming two High Court judges and disseminating false information via a letter they wrote to the country's chief justice, Benjamin Odoki, demanding that he investigate reports that the judges had received bribes from the government. The two allegedly suggested that Museveni attempted to bribe the judges with US $167,000 to influence them in the ongoing treason and rape trials of Besigye, who is the president's main challenger in elections scheduled for 23 February. Byanyima and Sabiiti pleaded not guilty to the charges, which could see them pay substantial reparations if found guilty. They were released on bond until 14 February when they will return to court for the hearing of the case. Museveni has denied the allegations against him, branding them "blatant lies" and "concoctions" by "reactionary FDC leaders" that should not go unpunished. Besigye, who maintains that the charges against him and his wife are politically motivated, accompanied Byanyima to court. Besigye, a former personal doctor to Museveni's, was arrested on 14 November, three weeks after returning to Uganda from four years of self-imposed exile in South Africa, where he fled after losing elections in 2001. He faces separate charges of terrorism and illegal possession of weapons before a military court martial. His rape and treason trials began on Wednesday. If convicted, his candidacy would be nullified. Besigye's case has fuelled concerns about Museveni's commitment to democracy, and several donor countries have suspended tens of millions of dollars in direct aid to the government over these issues.