No charges have been dropped against the former Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury Henry Rotich, the Office of the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions has said.
In a statement on Saturday, the ODPP clarified that the charges have not been dropped contrary to reports that appeared in the Business Daily on Friday July 16.
Business Daily had stated that the former CS had scored a major legal victory in the Sh63 billion Arror and Kimwarer dams’ corruption case after a magistrate dropped two charges against him.
"Contrary to reports appearing in the Business Daily on Friday July 16, no charges have been dropped against the former Cabinet Secretary National Treasury Henry Rotich, accused of misappropriation of public funds relating to the construction of the Arror and Kimwarer Multipurpose Development Dam projects," the statement read.
The former CS and four others are jointly charged with various offences ranging from conspiracy to defraud, abuse of office and failure to comply with various sections of the law while executing contracts that bound the Government of Kenya to pay approximately Sh63 billion for the construction of the two dams.
The ODPP further stated that when the matter came up for plea on the amended charges on May 26, 2021, the former CS objected to the taking of plea in two out of 20 accounts.
This is on the basis that they did not specify what particulars the former CS was to respond to under the Anti-Corruption And Economic Crimes Act (ACECA) and the Public Finance Management Act (PFM).
In a ruling dated July 15, 2021, Hon. Douglas Ogoti followed that application by the prosecution to amend the charges within seven days.
The cases are still pending before court.
