The Director of Public Prosecutions is considering withdrawing corruption charges levelled against 14 suspects in the Sh2.5 billion Lake Basin Development Authority mall saga.
A total of 26 people have been charged.
Prosecution counsel James Kihara told magistrate Douglas Ogoti that they are likely to withdraw charges against 14 out of the 26.
However, he told the court that he needed 10 days to engage with DPP Noordin Haji before informing the court on the way forward.
The defence was not opposed to the application. They only suggested that the matter be moved to Kisumu becasue most of the suspects are over 60 years old and are likely to be exposed to Covid-19.
Ogoti said the matter will be mentioned virtually on December 1 as the DPP decides on how it should proceed.
In the case, former Kisumu county assembly speaker Onyango Oloo has been accused of receiving a bribe of Sh15 million to award the tender.
He was arraigned last year and denied accusations of inflating the tender of the multi-purpose mall in Kisumu by Sh1.6 billion.
The contract for the LBDA mall was initiated at Sh2.4 billion but by the close of the project, it was valued at Sh4.1 billion.
According to the charge sheet, Oloo received a benefit of Sh15 million from Erdemann Property as an inducement to facilitate allocation of funds to LBDA in respect of the mall construction.
Erdemann and its directors were the contractors of LBDA mall.
Oloo further denied conspiring to defraud LBDA out of Sh667 million for construction, development and financing of the retail mall.
He was charged alongside Henry Odindo, Innocent Momanyi, Oscar Odhiambo, Vincent Ogenge, Lydiah Owino, Zhang Jing, John Zeyun Yang, Erdemann Property and Symbion Kenya.
Edited by A.N
