Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru, who is facing charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC), has been allowed to attend the first status conference virtually.
The office of the prosecutor granted the request after his attorneys filed an application seeking to have him appear for the September 17th status conference remotely from Kenya citing the prevailing COVID-19 situation.
Gicheru will be committed to trial for crimes against the administration of justice consisting in corruptly influencing witnesses of the court.
While confirming the charges last month, the Pre-Trial Chamber said there are substantial grounds to believe Gicheru committed, as a co-perpetrator or under alternative modes of liability, offenses against the administration of justice.
He is said to have committed the offenses in Kenya between April 2013 and September 10th, 2015 when the criminal case against Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang was withdrawn.
The Chamber said Gicheru and his accomplices were found to have executed a well-orchestrated plan of interfering with key witnesses in the Ruto and Sang case.
“Specifically, with relation to eight witnesses, Mr. Gicheru and other members of the common plan allegedly identified, located, and contacted the witnesses, offered and/or paid them financial or other benefits, and/or threatened or intimidated them, in order to induce them to withdraw as Prosecution witnesses, refuse to or cease cooperating with the Prosecution and/or the Court, and/or to recant the evidence which they had provided to the Prosecution,” the court said in a statement.
Gicheru surrendered himself to the Dutch authorities on November 2nd, 2020, five years after The Hague-based court issued a warrant of arrest against him and two others.
He was released on a Sh1 million bond in January and allowed to travel to Kenya under strict conditions set by the court.
All I can tell my brother…
All I can tell my brother Gicheru is to tell the truth and nothing but the truth! The truth will certainly set you free! We all know Ruto will not tell the truth because he lived a lie all his life! Tell the truth by Gicheru will clean his conscience and perhaps have a favorable judgment by the ICC judges! Please remember those children and women who died in the hands of DP Ruto! That is why he used you to lie but you can now set the records straight!
I see your prayer. He…
I see your prayer. He already told them what he knows. I know you are praying that he changes his story and start implicating Uhuru and Ruto. You only pretend to cry for the children and women who died in Eldoret. What happened to those that died in Naivasha. Are they also human beings? The other day Uhuru while speaking in his language, was insisting to remind them what he said in 2007.
I do not discuss serious…
I do not discuss serious issues with kalenjins who are hell bent on killing Kikuyus! Ruto started killing Kikuyus from Nairobi, through Naivasha to mugotio!
Uhuru had nothing to do with Ruto”s murderous rampage! The problem with you foolish wakale is that you like dragging Uhuru into your nonsensical shit! How come Ruto is cheating young kikuyu men with matakonomics while he does not preach that shit to kalenjin youth? Stop your damn nonsense! Grow up and take the damn responsibility and be men!
Gicheru must tell the truth about all those Ruto bribed to contravene justice for those Ruto killed in Kiambaa! He killed women and children and had all the kalenjins eat them up as your meat! Shame of you @assita for your shameless nonsense here!
Ndugu Gicheru: Toboa;…
Ndugu Gicheru: Toboa;
https://youtu.be/ZGQQKNkFDEk