Ugandan MPs not guilty of murder

The FDC are led by Dr Besigye who campaigns when not in court

Two opposition MPs from northern Uganda have been found not guilty of murdering a local official in 2002.

MPs Reagan Okumu and Michale Ocula are from presidential challenger Kizza Besigye's party, who is facing multiple court charges himself.

The MPs said the charges were politically motivated. The judge said the prosecution case was "a crude and amateur attempt at creative work".

Mr Okumu praised the judge for his independence and said he would sue.

Last year he wrote to government ministers alleging that the Ugandan military had been harassing opposition supporters in northern Uganda - detaining some of them illegally.

The government denied this.

Both MPs, who were arrested last April, are running for re-election in northern Uganda in the 23 February general elections on the Forum for Democratic Change ticket.

The state accused the two MPs, and a third man Otim Olanya, of instigating the murder of a locally elected official, Alfred Bongomin, in 2002, using other men to carry out the crime.

The state produced these men in court - they included former rebels.

After the verdict, the deputy director of public prosecution said he would study the judge's ruling before deciding whether to appeal or not.