PH
Former IEBC boss James Oswago has denied charges in the ChickenGate scandal and has been released on Sh600,000 cash bail.
Oswago was charged on Wednesday alongside Trevy Oyombra, a local agent for British firm Smith & Ouzman and a woman named Hamida Ali. Oyombra was released on Sh1 million cash bail and Ali Sh600,000 cash bail.
The suspects were arrested earlier on Wednesday at their homes in Nairobi and faced charges related to procurement of election materials for Bunyula and Bomachoge constituencies.
Oswago denied two counts of willful failure to comply with procedures and guidelines relating to procurement and receiving a bribe of Sh2 million from Ali.
Oyombra faced nine counts of soliciting and receiving a benefit from Nicholas Smith, a Smith & Ouzman director. He and Ali also denied the charges they faced.
Oswago made a passionate appeal for release on a free bond, on grounds that he faces a similar case, while his co-accused asked to pay between Sh10,000 and Sh50,000.
Their lawyers said they were not flight risks and had been collaborating with investigators since the probe began in 2012.
But city magistrate Lawrence Mugambi said the court needed to consider the seriousness of the charges they faced.
Investigators have been gathering details since 2012 when the scandal was exposed.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) said it found “evidence of criminal culpability on the part of accused in its report to DPP Keriako Tobiko, who agreed with the recommendations.
The commission recommended the prosecution of Oswago and the others in July 2016 but exonerated former electoral chairman Issack Hassan from corruption allegations in the scandal.
A British government report sent to the Attorney-General had named commissioners and tender committee members who allegedly received money from Smith and Ouzman to help the firm win a ballot paper printing tender.
The officials are said to have received Sh46 million from a UK company to secure tenders for the procurement of ballot boxes used in the by-elections and the 2010 referendum.
The money was allegedly paid out by Nicholas and his co-director Christopher Smith, through Oyombra.
In December 2014, a London court found Christopher and Nicholas guilty of bribing Kenyan electoral officials to secure tenders.
The case will be mentioned on March 1.
-the-star.co.ke
