Former Kenya Power and Lighting Company Samwel Gichuru with his wife leaving Milimani law courts after theylost bid to block extradition proceedings pending before Nairobi Chief Magistrate’s court.
BY SAM ALFAN.
Justice Isaac Lenaola, said the proceedings were properly instituted by the director of public prosecution and any claim the two may want to raise can be done before the trial court.
The judge said the hearing of the criminal case be done expeditiously, has he matter been pending since 2013.
Okemo and Gichuru had opposed the request by Jersey authorities where theyare wanted to answer to fraud charges
They had submitted their lawyers Fred Ngatia and Geirshon Ottachi that criminal charges are being brought against them more then 20 years and the same can’t stand by law.
They said the government ought to have been aware of the said activities which said to have taken place in 1986.
The lawyers submitted that the court should not allow the law to be applied retroactively, saying that the state can not claim that it was not aware of the offence alleged to have been committed by Okemo and Gichuru while they were serving the government.
” What was state doing for decades now the delay in inexcusable when the petition’s funds were frozen about five years ago”they said.
This is the second time Gichuru and Okemo have lost their bid to have the case quashed, first trhey lost a preliminary objection raised before Magistrate court in which they challenged the authority signed by the Director of Public Prosecution Keriako Tobkiko to commence extradition proceedings.
