This archive report was first published on 23 December 2021.
Lawyer Paul Gicheru has denied allegations of bribing witnesses in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case against Deputy President William Ruto and radio journalist Joshua Sang. The allegations were made by the prosecution, which claimed that Gicheru offered Ksh20.4 million bribes to witnesses.
Gicheru's defence team argued that the evidence provided by the prosecutors was obtained from unreliable witnesses and untestable hearsay. They also stated that the evidence produced in court does not directly or indirectly link Gicheru to witness interference.
On November 6, 2020, Gicheru appeared before the ICC via video-link from the ICC Detention Centre. He was accused of obstruction of justice in the case against Deputy President William Ruto and tampering with ICC witnesses.
Gicheru's lawyers also criticised Justice Alapini-Gansou for adopting the prosecution's narrative without considering glaring gaps in the witnesses' testimonies. They stated that the evidence provided to Gicheru by the Office of The Prosecutor (OTP) did not support either the prosecution's version of events or its legal conclusions.
Gicheru surrendered to the International Criminal Court (ICC) five years after an arrest warrant was issued by The Hague-based court in 2015. The ICC confirmed the developments in a press release on Monday, November 2, 2020.
