This archive report was first published on 16 September 2021.
Published on September 16, 2021, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is set to call 13 witnesses in the case against Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru.
The witnesses will testify against Mr. Gicheru, who is accused of bribing witnesses in the collapsed case of Deputy President William Ruto.
According to the prosecution, the witnesses will cumulatively testify for at least 57 hours at The Hague-based court.
The prosecution has compiled a massive amount of evidence, comprising 43,524 items in at least 221,110 pages.
Of the 13 witnesses, six will tell the court how they were 'corruptly' influenced by Mr. Gicheru and his associates to recant their evidence against Dr. Ruto and Mr. Joshua arap Sang.
The witnesses are code-named P-0800, P-0536, P-0613, P-0341, P-0274, and P-0516.
Others include three prosecution investigators, an analyst, and three experts.
The number of witnesses may rise to 16 as the prosecution is looking into the possibility of interviewing and calling three more, believed to be relevant to the charges facing the lawyer.
Four of the witnesses testified in the Ruto and Sang case, and in-court protective measures will be applied.
The prosecution estimates that it would require more than 57 hours of direct examination of the witnesses.
Deputy ICC Prosecutor James Stewart stated, 'Assuming a similar time is permitted for cross-examination by the defence, and making a limited provision for any necessary and permissible re-examination, this would bring the duration of the prosecution case to 122 hours, or approximately 27 court days.'
The prosecution would also seek to introduce the recorded testimony and associated evidence of witnesses who are reportedly subject of interference.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the prosecution does not rule out the possibility of certain witnesses testifying via audio or video link should circumstances demand.
The prosecution intends to rely on documentary and other non-testimonial evidence, including phone data and bank records.
Mr. Gicheru reportedly used Sh20.4 million to bribe witnesses in the crimes against humanity case against Dr. Ruto.
