Court to decide fate of top EADB official accused of lying to police about former CS Raphael Tuju
Okwara, who is said to be in Uganda, failed to show up in court where it was expected that he would be charged with giving false information to a person employed in the public service
A Nairobi court will today determine whether a senior official of the East Africa Development Bank (EADB) who is facing charges of giving false information about former Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju while take his plea.
Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Dolphine Alego issued the warrant against Isaac Nyongesa Okwara, the EADB Chief Security Officer, but suspended it for 24 hours in the case where Okwara is alleged to have made a false statement to the police who then commenced criminal investigations against Tuju.
Alego issued the suspended warrant after Okwara, who is said to be in Uganda, failed to show up in court where it was expected that he would be charged with giving false information to a person employed in the public service.
“The warrant of arrest is hereby issued in abeyance for 24 hours against the accused person until we await the ruling of the High Court,” she ordered.
The particulars of the charge sheet presented in court by the prosecution are that on August 8 2023 at DCI headquarters, is that Okwara gave information to No. 240454 Inspector Duncan Maina .
The charge added that Okwara gave information to a person employed in the public service, serving as a police officer and stationed at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations that Tuju made false statement in his position as a director of a company, illegibly transferred a mortgaged property and made unlawful receipts, which information he knew or believed to be false.
According to the prosecution Okwara allegedly intended cause Maina to commence criminal Investigations against Tuju, which he ought not to have done if the true state of facts in respect to such information had been known to him.
Tuju’s lawyer Duncan okatch told court that no orders have been issued by the High Court.
“What my colleague is holding here are just directions .Your honour, these directions don’t speak of any orders that have been issued in stopping this court. There are no orders and as such that cannot be a reason to stop the court from proceeding with the plea taking,” he submitted.
Tuju, who has been embroiled in a legal battle with the bank over two high-end properties – Dari Coffee Garden and Entim Sidai hotels – in Karen over a Ksh 4.5 billion debt arising from a botched loan deal, also said he is ready to assist people whose land hand been grabbed.
“I want to announce that I’m part of an initiative called Land Protection Forum in which anyone that has this kind of dilemma of hard earned family property being stolen from them, we want them to log in and get in touch so that if we are able to help we will help,” he said.
