This archive report was first published on 14 January 2020.
January 14, 2020
Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku has adjourned the Sh41 billion tax evasion case against tycoon Humphrey Kariuki for a month after prosecutors failed to supply witness statements to his defence team in time.
Prosecutors in the case have been accused of not complying with court orders to provide the accused with witness statements, with defence lawyers Kioko Kilukumi and Cecil Miller stating that they had only received statements from seven out of 28 listed witnesses.
"The prosecution gave us a list of 28 witnesses but has only supplied us with statements of seven witnesses only," said Mr Kilukumi.
The defence team had requested hard copies and an inventory of all witness statements, which they claim is essential for the case to proceed.
The court had previously given the prosecution until January 14 to supply the defence with all the 7,500 hard copy documentary evidence, but it appears that this deadline has not been met.
Ms Mutuku fixed the case for mention on February 26, giving the prosecution another month to comply with the court's orders.
