Some witnesses in Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko’s graft case will testify anonymously, the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) has said.
The agency told a Nairobi court that it had obtained orders from the High Court to place the witnesses under protection over sensitivity of the matter.
The prosecution said this during the mentioning of the case on Tuesday.
The court heard that the witnesses are under the Witness Protection Agency, a state organ entrusted with the role of protecting persons in possession of important information and who are facing potential risk or intimidation due to their co-operation with the prosecution and other law enforcement agencies.
The witnesses, according to EACC, will use pseudo names in their statements and will give evidence in a closed-door session while ‘hiding’ in a box.
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But Sonko’s legal team led by Cecil Miller and George Kithi opposed the move further denying knowledge of such an order.
The lawyers accused the anti-graft body and the Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji of failing to make full disclosure of evidence in the case hence denying the accused the right to fair trial.
The court had ordered the prosecution to supply the defence team with evidence in readiness for the pre-trial on February 26.
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Milimani Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti faulted EACC and the DPP over failure to adhere to timelines given by the court hence frustrating proceedings of graft cases.
Sonko, who is out on Ksh15 million bail, was in December last year charged with 19 counts of graft. He is accused of misappropriating Ksh357 million from county coffers.
He is also accused of irregularly awarding tenders to his close aides and forging documents leading to the loss of millions of shillings.
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