IS ACTING NEGLIGENTLY A CRIMINAL OFFENCE ?.

Music promoter Abitex has been charged with nine counts of negligence in relation to a tragedy at Freedom City Mall in Uganda on New Year's Eve. The case against Abitex is because he allegedly acted negligently by closing five exits of the building and leaving only one exit of the venue for more than 20,000 people in attendance. This led to the death of more than ten people. Abitex has been remanded in custody until January 10, when he will appear in court for a bail application.

WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY ABOUT THIS?

By law, acting negligently can be considered a criminal offence if it harms or damages another person or property. We say that a person has acted negligently if that person acts in a way that endangers the lives or safety of others.

For example, if you close all the exits at the venue except for one, and it is not reasonable that all 20,000 people can safely use that one exit, you may be deemed to have acted negligently.

Additionally, under the Public Order Management Act of Uganda, it is an offence to act in a way that disrupts public order or causes harm to others. Therefore, if someone acts negligently and their actions lead to harm or damage, they can be arrested and charged with a criminal offence.

Overall, it is important to take care and consider the safety of others in all actions, as acting negligently can have serious legal consequences. Therefore all the people who participated in this negligence can be liable for acting negligently.

Do you think that the owner of Freedom City Mall, the manager, and the police who were hired to oversee security on the night of the event should have been charged with acting negligently as well? Let us know in the comments.

📷: Africa News

Source; BareFootLaw

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