Jumwa’s lawyers demand payments before handing over files to the new counsel
Malindi Member of Parliament Aisha Jumwa’s fraud case has taken a new twist after her lawyers refused to hand over her files to her new counsel.
Jumwa and six others are accused of conspiring to defraud the Malindi National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) of Sh20 million.
The lawyers who represented her, Danstan Omari, Jared Magolo, Shadrack Wamboi and Titus Kirui were summoned by the court to hand over the statements to the her new legal team but drama erupted after they demanded to be paid before the hand over.
“My colleagues were today summoned by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) like they were some crooks or criminals…but the court has disasociated itself from them indicating that they were summoned to hand over the statements to the new counsel which they declined to do so because of their rights, because of the lee and the holder of those statements,” said lawyer Cliff Ombeta, Jumwa’s new lawyer.
The prosecution argued that the lawyers were using delay tactics in the matter.
Magistrate Edna Nyaloti ordered the prosecution to supply fresh documents to Jumwa’s new lawyers, Ombeta and Duncan Osoro.
Ombeta said that the court also ordered the state, at their own cost, provide statements to the all the accused persons and to the counsel that has come on record, so that in future the same mistake is not repeated.
Jumwa was yesterday charged afresh after the prosecution amended the charges in forgery, fraud in procurement and money laundering.
Omari, Magolo, Wamboi and Kirui applied for adjournment of the case to get instruction from their clients saying the prosecution had ambushed them.
However, the court dismissed a plea to have the matter adjourned to another date insisting on hearing the case on Tuesday without considering their submissions prompting Jumwa’s lawyers to withdraw their services.
“Since we cannot take any instructions from our clients as it is, we seek to withdraw our legal representation and have them look for new counsel,” said Omari.
The lawyers had also asked the court to have the matter heard by another magistrate since the Trail Magistrate Edna Nyaloti has been transferred to a new station.
Jumwa alongside Wachu Omar Abdalla, Kennedy Otieno Onyango, Benard Riba Kai, Sophia Saidi Charo, Margaret Faith Kalume, Robert Katana Wanje and Multserve Contractors Limited were in 2019 charged with stealing Sh20 million from the NG-CDF.
