Mathira Member of Parliament Rigathi Gachagua has been granted a cash bail of Sh12 million with an alternative Sh25 million bond in a graft case.
After spending the weekend in police cells, Gachagua was today arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts to face corruption charges for allegedly unlawfully receiving over Sh.7 billion.
Anti-Corruption court chief magistrate Lawrence Mugambi ordered the accused to deposit his passport with the court and not to contact or interfere with witnesses.
Represented by a team of 10 lawyers, Gachagua was charged with six counts including conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption, fraudulent acquisition of property and money laundering however, he denied the charges.
He is to be detained within court precincts until 5pm, when he is expected to have processed his bail.
Gachagua was arrested on Friday in his Nyeri home by detectives attached to Directorate of Criminal Investigative (DCI) over Sh12 billion graft.
On his Facebook account, he claimed that the government was unhappy with the loss of the Kiambaa by-election.
“Though I played a minimal role, I had no vote. Will you arrest all voters of Kiambaa? Kiambaa was just a tip of the iceberg, the handshake state faces a humiliating defeat in 2022. In the fullness of time my innocence will be pronounced. I am not cowed or intimidated,” he said.
He is charged alongside William Wahome Mwangi, Anne Nduta Ruo, Julianne Jahenda Makaa, Samuel Murimi, Grace Wambui Kariuki, Lawrence Kimaru, Irene Wambui Ndigiriri, David Reuben and a company M/s Rapid Medical Supplies who were not before the court.
The court has issued summons for the remaining nine accused persons for purposes of plea taking on August 3.
The case will be mentioned on August 9 before magistrate Rose Makungu.
Gachagua allegedly fraudulently received Sh.7,330,011,265 through three bank accounts domiciled at Rafiki Micro-Finance bank while knowing that the monies were proceeds of crime.
The Informer has established that most of the monies in question have been traced back to at least four counties; Nyeri, Kisii, and Kwale counties, Mathira National Government-CDF, Tana Athi River Development Authority (TARDA), Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the State Department of Environment.
However, the fiery politician has in the past been on record dismissing the allegations as far-fetched political witch-hunt.
The detectives have unearthed a trail of cases where loans were purportedly acquired to cover up for funds received from government entities.
“However, these loans have been used to cover-up for funds received from government departments or inter-company transfers in a bid to conceal the ultimate beneficiaries of funds.” A preliminary investigation report says in part.
According to detectives, it was difficult to ascertain whether the companies made any supplies to some counties as the bank accounts made minimal or no payments to suppliers, which is normal for any transaction.