This archive report was first published on 5 August 2020.
Former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo's bid to introduce new evidence in a Sh50 million land fraud case has been rejected by the Supreme Court.
The court ruled that Jirongo failed to demonstrate that the additional evidence could not have been obtained with reasonable diligence during his trial at the High Court and the Court of Appeal.
According to the court, Jirongo's application was an attempt to 'gerrymander and cat games' in the name of adducing additional evidence.
The court also found that details of a letter from the National Bank of Kenya dated November 20, 2019, were contrary to Jirongo's averments that he was unable to obtain records of documents as they had been destroyed.
Additionally, the court noted that the bank was able to respond to Jirongo's request in a short period of time, contrary to his assertions that the bank had taken several months to recover copies of the missing payments.
The case, which dates back to 1992, alleges that Jirongo with intent to defraud induced Post Bank Credit Limited to accept a bank charge for a parcel of land registered in the name of Soy Developers Limited.
The offences are alleged to have happened in 1992, and the criminal trial has since been suspended pending determination of Jirongo's appeal at the Supreme Court.
