• The court directed the matter be mentioned on August 27 to confirm whether the documents have been supplied.
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The Director of Criminal Investigations is still preparing documents to be used against Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua in a Sh7 billion fraud case.
The prosecution Monday told magistrate Rose Makhungu that the investigating officer has already supplied the witness statements through email and only documentary evidence has yet to be provided.
"The case was coming up for mention to confirm whether documents have been supplied. The DCI is still in the process of scanning the documents. It will be supplied once done, but if they want a hard copy, they can get it from the DCI,” the prosecution said.
The defence confirmed that they have received the witness statements but not documentary evidence. The court directed the matter be mentioned on August 27 to confirm whether the documents have been supplied.
In the case, Mathira CDF manager William Mwangi Wahome has denied conspiring to defraud the county government of Nyeri of Sh27 million. He was released on Sh1 million bail.
Wahome is one of the nine accused persons charged alongside Gachagua. The lawmaker was arraigned two weeks ago and charged with acquiring Sh7.3 billion suspected to be proceeds of crime.
He is accused of fraudulently acquiring the money through three different bank accounts at Rafiki Micro-Finance Bank in his name between 2013 and 2020 in Nairobi.
Gachagua faced another count of conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption. When he was arraigned, his co-accused persons were not present. The court issued summonses against them to appear in court.
They pleaded to the charges on Monday. The conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption was levelled against Gachagua, Wahome, Anne Ruo, Julianne Makaa, Samuel Ireri, Grace Wambui, Lawrence Kimaru, Irene Wambui, David Nyangi and M/S Rapid Medical Supplies Limited.
It is alleged that they conspired to defraud Nyeri of Sh27 million between May 2015 and December 2016.
Nyangi and Rapid Supplies Ltd also faced a charge of fraudulently acquiring Sh6 million public property. The money was part of a payment purportedly made for the supply of Dialysis machines to Nyeri Provincial General Hospital. They denied the charge before magistrate Makhungu.
Makhungu granted bail to all the accused persons—the prosecution did not oppose the request.
Wahome and Anne Nduta were granted Sh1 million bail and an alternative Sh2 million bond.
David Reuben and Rapid Medical Supplies Limited faced a charge of fraudulent acquisition of property. Reuben was granted Sh1.5 million bail and an alternative Sh2 million bond.
The other accused persons—Makaa, Murimi, Wambui, Kimaru and Wambui—were granted Sh500,000 bail and an alternative Sh1 million bond each.
The accused persons will be remanded at Gigiri police station to allow them to process their bail terms.
Gachagua is out on Sh12 million bail.