- Echesa was, however, cleared of wrongdoing by Magistrate Kenneth Cheruiyot in 2021 for lack of evidence.
- Samburu ex-governor Lenolkulal testified on Monday and urged the court to dismiss the charges against him.
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The criminal case against former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa over the saga involving a fake Sh39 billion military arms deal will today proceed in the High Court in Nairobi as parties make their submissions.
Echesa was in 2020 charged alongside four others with obtaining Sh11.5 million from two foreigners - Kozlowolsky Stanley Bruno and Egyptian Mamdough Mostafa Lofty by purporting they would award them a tender to supply military equipment.
Echesa was, however, cleared of wrongdoing by Magistrate Kenneth Cheruiyot in 2021 for lack of evidence.
The prosecution produced 18 witnesses in the case but the magistrate noted that the key witnesses including Bruno and Mostafa were never availed to provide testimony on how the arms deal was clinched.
As such, the state moved to the High Court to appeal the acquittal. The matter is coming up today before Justice Anyi Kimondo for highlighting of submissions.
Ex-governor Lenolkulal's Sh84 million graft case
Elsewhere, the hearing of the Sh84 million graft case against former Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulal proceeds with defence witnesses expected to give testimony.
Lenolkulal testified on Monday and urged the court to dismiss the charges against him.
On Tuesday, a former chief in the finance department of the Samburu county government testified that the county did not lose any money in its contract with Oryx Service Station for the supply of petroleum products.
Daniel Lenolkirina told trial magistrate Thomas Nzioki that due process was followed and that the fuel was supplied and consumed.
Daniel is an accused person in the case.
The county is said to have lost millions through the supply of fuel by Oryx Service Station linked to the governor and businessman Hesbon Ndathi.
They were in July last year found to have a case to answer and subsequently placed on their defence.
Only the head of procurement escaped the defence hearing after the court found that the state had not sufficiently proved his case. He was acquitted.
In his defence, Daniel told the court that the acquittal of Geoffrey Kitewan only meant the procurement process was above board.
He said he approved the payments to Oryx and that the county got value for money.