BY NT REPORTER.
For two nights, Busia Governor will have to forget his luxurious 6×6 bed and sleep on the floor in a police station.
Governor Sospeter Ojamong will spend the nights in custody waiting for a court decision on whether he can be released on bail.
He will be detained at EACC police station until Friday when trail magistrate Douglas Ogoti will deliver his ruling.
This is after the prosecution opposed Ojamong’s release on bail arguing that he is influential and if released on bail, will interfere with witnesses lined up in the case to testify against him.
The court was told that most of the witnesses in the case are juniors to the governor.
Further the court was told that there are compelling reasons to have the governor and other co-accused persons denied bail pending hearing and determination of the case.
His lawyer SC James Orengo opposed the application saying that they presented themselves before the commission adding that there are no compelling reasons to have the governor and others denied bail.
“There’s no material placed before this court to demonstrate that the accused persons are likely to interfere with witnesses in the case,” SC Orengo said.
The governor together with Benard Yaite, Allan Ekweny and Samuel Ombui pleaded not guilty to the corruption charges leveled against them.
The seven charges range from abuse of office, conspiracy to commit an economic crime, engaging in a project, willful failure to comply with the law relating to management of funds and fraudulent acquisition of public property.
According to count one Ojamong and others are accused that they jointly conspired to commit an economic crime by engaging in a scheme to defraud the county government of Busia Sh8 million by entering into an MOU for feasibility study on solid waste management.
The Busia county governor is also accused of abusing his office to improperly confer a benefit of Sh8 million by signing the agreement which had not been competitively procured as per section 2(b) of the public procurement disposal act 2005.
