Extradition case against lawyers flops
High Court Judge Luka Kimaru on Thursday turned down the DPP’s request to extradite two lawyers wanted by the ICC for allegedly interfering with witnesses. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The DPP had filed an application at the High Court seeking to enforce the warrants.
- DPP had not complied with some of the international conditions.
Two Kenyan lawyers wanted in The Hague over allegations of trying to influence International Criminal Court (ICC) witnesses have survived a bid to have them extradited.
Lawyers Paul Gicheru and Philip Kipkoech Bett have been fighting a bid by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to enforce the warrants of arrest against them by the ICC on March 10, 2015.
The DPP had filed an application at the High Court seeking to enforce the warrants.
However, High Court Judge Luka Kimaru on Thursday turned down the DPP’s request, saying it did not meet the criteria set out in law.
The judge also lifted the warrant of arrest orders, saying the DPP had not complied with some of the international conditions that would have allowed the application to succeed.
“This court, therefore, finds that the application by the DPP lacks merit and is hereby dismissed,” the judge ruled.
The two lawyers are alleged to have blocked the administration of justice by allegedly corruptly influencing witnesses in the ICC case against Deputy President William Ruto and former radio presenter Joshua Sang.
