Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has filed a petition seeking removal of High Court Judge Said Juma Chitembwe over graft links.
Sonko filed the petition at the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) offices at Reinsurance Plaza, Nairobi, on Wednesday.
Chitembwe is among judges implicated in secretly-recorded videos published by Sonko on social media in the past few days.
Some of the videos show the events leading to Sonko’s impeachment and Justice Chitembwe’s alleged involvement in fraudulent dealings in his chambers.
In one of the clips, Justice Chitembwe’s alleged brother Amana Saidi Jirani confidently confesses to being the bona fide proxy to the judge.
Read: JSC Begins Formal Investigations Against Justice Said Chitembwe
Besides Sonko, several other Kenyans have filed petitions at JSC raising serious integrity questions on Justice Chitembwe.
But the judge continues to downplay the allegations insisting that Sonko edited and manipulated the videos to malign his name.
“More Petitions on how widows and investors have been swindled properties worth billions in a conspiracy between some judges, lawyers, landgrabbers and known cartels coming,” Sonko said in a Facebook post.
Read Also: Court Bars Sonko From Further Publishing Exposé On Former Legal Team
Chief Justice Martha Koome confirmed on Monday that JSC had commenced investigations against Justice Chitembwe regarding his conduct.
In a statement, the CJ said Justice Chitembwe will be formally served with the complaints and is required to respond within 14 days.
“Upon deliberations, the JSC resolved that the Petitions be served upon the Honourable Judge for his response within 14 days of service,” said Justice Koome.
Thereafter, the petitions and Chitembwe’s response will be considered by a panel that has been set up by the Commission. The panel will present its findings and recommendations to the Commission.
Read Also: CJ Koome Promises Action After Sonko Videos Implicating Justice Chitembwe
“The Commission takes this opportunity to reiterate its commitment to the values of integrity and accountability in the Judiciary. It has therefore resolved to expedite the petitions within the confines of Article 168 of the Constitution,” added Koome.
The first petition seeking to remove Justice Chitembwe was filed in September, but JSC ignored it until Sonko leaked videos that implicated the judge.
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