International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told ICC judges that Deputy President William Ruto allegedly bribed witnesses to recant their testimonies against him.
Through her lawyer, Anton Steynberg, Bensouda stated that she has recorded evidence showing Ruto's alleged interference with witnesses in his case. Steynberg said,
We have put up a number of recorded conversations which demonstrate the pattern of interference and we can also demonstrate the link between the interference and persons who at least claim to be acting on behalf of Mr Ruto.
Bensouda claimed that due to this alleged bribery and intimidation, six prosecution witnesses recanted their evidence or refused to testify at the trial stage.
In response, Ruto's lead lawyer, Karim Khan, challenged the prosecution's allegations, stating that none of the alleged interferences came from the defense and that many were schemes by individuals seeking to make money. Khan also pointed out that the prosecution had withdrawn some witnesses due to false evidence and unreliability.
