NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 15 – The first prosecution witness in the trial of lawyer Paul Gicheru at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday took to the stand where he testified how he was approached several times with bribery offers so as to withdraw his cooperation from the court.
The witness who had initially testified in the Deputy President William Ruto and Joshua Arap Sang case in the Hague based court explained how he was approached, and also recorded conversations which the prosecution described as key evidence in Gicheru’s witness tampering case.
The witness whose face and voice had to be distorted, was not allowed to mention the people and places of the meeting, as part of witness protection.
“I was contacted by telephone and then we met in person with person no (2)I reported to the authorities of this court, who asked me to record every conversation that i had with this person,” the witness one said during a cross examination by the prosecutor.
The witness also explained how he alongside other witnesses met with some people at various locations so as to plan on how to recant their testimonies.
“We met in person at location number (6). If I agreed on the offer that was given as a bribe, I would recant all the testimonies that I have before this court and not to appear before this court at any occasion that I was needed to appear,” he said.
Gicheru who is facing seven counts of witness meddling earlier on denied all charges.
The prosecution, during its opening remarks, explained how Gicheru tried to bribe and intimidate prosecution witnesses, so as to withdraw their assistance from the court.
The prosecution said they will be presenting evidence of phone records and transactions to confirm that Gicheru acted to prevent witnesses from testifying and coerced them to recant their statements.
The prosecution also submitted that Gicheru was to lead the witnesses in signing legal documents to cease cooperation with the court.
“The evidence shows that Gicheru was tasked with locating ICC witnesses inside and outside the country, by Deputy President William Ruto,” the Prosecution said.
The witnesses Gicheru are said to have improperly engaged were in the case against Deputy President William Ruto, journalist Joshua Arap Sang which terminated in April 2016, and Henry Kosgey in whose respect the court declined to confirm charges in January 2012.
The case was terminated about a year after a similar suit against President Uhuru Kenyatta was discontinued in March 2015.
Other Kenyans who faced charges of crimes against humanity at the ICC alongside Kenyatta, Ruto, Sang and Kosgei were Francis Muthaura and police chief Mohammed Ali.
