DPP withdraws Gachagua’s Ksh7.3 billion corruption case
DPP withdraws Gachagua’s Ksh7.3 billion corruption case citing DCI failure to provide additional information.
The Director of Public Prosecution, on Wednesday, November 9, applied to withdraw corruption charges against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court in Nairobi.
In his argument, the DPP contended that the investigations were hampered as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had withheld pertinent information.
The prosecution claimed that dropping the accusations will free up the group to look into the alleged corruption matter further.
According to reports, the ODPP contacted the DCI in an attempt to obtain the initial records and evidence used to apprehend and accuse Gachagua.
The DCI allegedly skipped a meeting scheduled to evaluate the material while the prosecution tried to improve its case preparation.
“In light of the request to review, the prosecution team sat and reviewed the evidence and realized that we were not able to respond to the letters without the evidence we had requested from the DCI at the time we were charging,” the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) told the magistrate.
“DCI did not respond to our request, nor did they avail the original files and the exhibits required to enable us to study the file again,” she added.
Through his lawyer Kioko Kilukumi, DP Gachagua, welcomed the decision by the ODPP to withdraw the charges against him.
He argued that the decision to press charges despite incomplete information was unjustified and evidence of the misuse of authority by government agencies.
Gachagua further condemned the treatment he received from DCI agents at the detention.
“He was subjected to intense humiliation driven at neck brake speed from Nyeri to DCI headquarters. He was never presented to court until July 26, 2021,” Senior Counsel Kioko Kilukumi stated.
Gachagua and nine others were charged with allegedly receiving over Ksh7.4 billion from crime proceeds.
The case will be mentioned on Thursday, November 10.
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