The International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed a request by Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru to suspend the status conference slated for September 25th.
Gicheru, who is facing witness tampering charges, applied to have presiding Judge Maria Samba recuse herself from the case.
Through his attorneys, Gicheru argued that judge Samba’s work in the Office of the Prosecutor during investigations into the 2007/08 post-election violence (PEV) raised questions about her impartiality.
They noted that the judge’s revelation that she previously participated in the Kenyan investigations would jeopardize his right to a fair trial.
But the judge dismissed his application, stating that the pre-trial conference is meant to prepare for the hearing of the case.
Justice Samba indicated the accused would not suffer any harm if he appears during a virtual conference, adding that she was not privy to the evidence to be produced by the prosecution. She stated that her involvement in the PEV probe was only on matters of logistics.
“In any event, if the request for disqualification is granted, the defense may file a request to amend any decision issued by Judge Samba with the new chamber. No prejudice to the defense–permanent or otherwise–is caused by continuing the preparation of the proceedings, let alone any prejudice, which would justify a temporary stay of proceedings,” she ruled.
The judge ruled that the accused person failed to explain why her prior employment in the Office of the Prosecutor would prejudice his case during the status conference, and why she should not set the trial dates.
ICC Prosecutor announced he will present 12 to 13 witnesses to give oral testimony at trial. They include six Kenyans who will testify how they were corruptly influenced by Gicheru to recant their evidence against Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang.
The court will also hear testimonies from three investigators, and two to three expert witnesses.
The Gicheru ICC trail need…
The Gicheru ICC trail need to proceed so we can know the real truth! Those women and children who died in the Kiambaa church fire can no longer wait for Gicheru to tell the truth!
Kenya can never heal without…
Kenya can never heal without the Kiambaa massacre truth being told to the whole world! It is all the reason DP Ruto has refused to resign as the deputy president to protect himself!
We cannot have Ruto as the next president of Kenya after he burned women and children and also killed others to hide the truth! Kenyans must wake up to who DP Ruto is and can do to Kenyans!
Judge Maria Samba of the ICC…
Judge Maria Samba of the ICC is very fair! She is handling Gicheru’s witness tampering case correctly and fairly!
We want judge Samba to stay in this case! She is committed to Gicheru telling the truth about who instructed him to tamper with several witnesses!
Six witnesses who Gicheru…
Six witnesses who Gicheru influence me to lie or change their testimony against William Ruto is a lot! These witnesses must be protected not to end in the Tsavo National park dead like it happened to Yebei!
Let the witnesses tell the truth once and for all so we can settle this matter to rest!
All I can tell Gicheru is to…
All I can tell Gicheru is to tell the whole truth to redeem his image! Nothing but the whole truth and so help Gicheru dear God!!
And we kindly ask the…
And we kindly ask the government of Kenya to provide heavy protection with a few gsu men so he can live to tell the real truth why DP Ruto asked him to influence the said witnesses not to tell the truth to the ICC!
Ruto used Corruption money to bribe Gicheru and those witnesses who were intimidated to lie to ICC!
We want Gicheru to tell Kenyans the truth to shame the devil in bwana asifiwe Ruto! Women and children were burned alive in a Kiambaa church in Eldoret in 2008 by DP Ruto as he planned to remove all the Kikuyus from the rift valley. Huyu Ruto does he really know God? Oh God, please let the truth be told to cleanse Kenya!
Ruto has continued to lie to Kenyans, and only through Gicheru the country will get to hear about Ruto’s murderous expeditions to hide his sinful nature!
Ndugu Kipchirchir Samoei…
Ndugu Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto should stop campaigning and wait until the whole truth about the Kiambaa Church holocaust in Eldoret is resolved.
@ imara daima…so that RAO…
@ imara daima…so that RAO can have smooth sealing!.. dreamers!..
its the idiot RAO who caused the PEV against Kikuyus. That’s why they will never vote him or his tribesmen…you can take this to the bank
@ imara daima…so that RAO…
@ imara daima…so that RAO can have smooth sealing!.. dreamers!..
its the idiot RAO who caused the PEV against Kikuyus. That’s why they will never vote him or his tribesmen…you can take this to the bank
Who cares what this Court…
Who cares what this Court eventually decides? By the way, which countries implement their decisions?
@ Conish:
Mimi namwunga…
@ Conish:
Mimi namwunga mkono Ndugu Kivutha Kibwana kuwa rais 2022.