Ghosts from the past have refused to let go and are still hovering around, perhaps seeking justice. Deputy President William Ruto’s witnesses, in the ICC case, were called using Lawyer Paul Gicheru’s phone. This is according to a new revelation by the Hague-based Court.
A new filing by Fatou Bensouda indicates Paul Gicheru’s office landline was among the different phones used to coerce and convince the witnesses.
Bensouda, also for the first time, reveals to the public the ICC has been on the Lawyer’s trail since 2018, after an interview with two Hague detectives in Nairobi, that year in September. It was also during the interview sessions that Mr. Gicheru admitted knowledge of the numbers.
“While he denied the charges and professed not to have had any dealings with the six witnesses named in the application, he did confirm various phone numbers alleged to have been used in the scheme, including his office landline,” the prosecution states.
The Prosecution has made a number of allegations against the lawyer, including to corruptly influence prosecution witnesses who were to testify against William Ruto.
Despite voluntarily surrendering to ICC in December last year, the prosecution says Mr. Gicheru still has the ability to obstruct justice because he has influential ties in the current government. William Ruto has been fingered as the ultimate beneficiary of the scheme.
“The ultimate beneficiary of the scheme, William Samoei Ruto, is still the Deputy President of Kenya. Additionally, since the warrant was issued, Gicheru has been appointed to a senior position in a Kenyan State Corporation, providing reasonable grounds to believe that his ability to obstruct the prosecution’s investigations and any subsequent proceedings may in fact have increased,” the prosecution says.
The Court had issued an arrest warrant for Mr Gicheru in March 2015, alongside Philip Kipkoech Bett.
