KAMPALA – Deputy Solicitor General Christopher Gashirabake has filed his defence in the High Court, claiming that former State Attorney Samantha Mwesigye often sexually harassed him by her provocative dressing.
In his defence filed through his lawyers of Mutabingwa & Co. Advocates at the Industrial Court, Mr Gashirabake claims that on many occasions, Ms Mwesigye often seduced him by wearing skimpy clothes that exposed her breasts but he often ignored her.
“At one time, the 2nd respondent (Mr Gashirabake) protested to the complainant when she came to the office dressed provocatively and seductively with her breasts almost uncovered. The complainant kept nagging the 2nd respondent but was not interested in the complainant. Having failed to achieve her objective, the complainant started making malicious allegations that the 2nd respondent was sexually harassing her, which is not true,” the Deputy Solicitor General says in his defence.
“The 2nd respondent (Mr. Gashirabake) shall aver that the applicant (Ms Mwesigye) is the one who was persistently nagging the 2nd respondent demanding for sex from the 2nd respondent which he was not interested in,” he adds.
He is responding to a suit filed by Ms. Mwesigye on December 19, 2019, who accuses him of sexually harassing her during her time at the justice ministry as a State Attorney. Ms. Mwesigye in her suit claims that Mr. Gashirabake often sent her messages of sexual nature that were unwelcome to her.
She adds that when she resisted his advances, Mr. Gashirabake engaged in verbal abuse and behavior that was directed at humiliating her and constructively terminating her employment.
Ms. Mwesigye went to court after a committee instituted by the Justice ministry cleared Mr Gashirabake of any wrongdoing in the matter. Court has not yet set a date for hearing the case.
She wants Mr. Gashirabake to apologize to her, reinstate her to her job at the ministry and be awarded damages to atone for the suffering she has gone through without a job.
