DP Ruto lawyers go after ICC staff, witnesses

Deputy President William Ruto’s counsel Karim Khan (left) at The Stanley Hotel on April 6, 2016 where he fielded questions from journalists after the ICC declared a mistrial in the cases against the DP and and former radio presenter Joshua arap Sang. Mr Ruto's defence team now wants ICC staff and prosecution witnesses probed for perjury. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The letter claims that staff in Fatou Bensouda’s office and intermediaries tampered with or interfered with collection of evidence.

  • DP's lawyers also claim ICC staff were bribed and engaged in sexual relations with witnesses and their families.

Deputy President William Ruto has abandoned his earlier declaration of forgiveness and now wants a neutral prosecutor to investigate six ICC witnesses who testified against him.

He also wants prosecution intermediaries investigated for witness tampering, bribery and lying to have him convicted for the post-election violence.

The Deputy President also wants the staff from the Office of the Prosecutor investigated also accusing them of witness tampering, bribery and engaging in illicit sexual relations with witnesses against him.

In a filing by his lead defence counsel Karim Khan on Monday, he alleged that witnesses P-0356, P-0409, P-0613 and P-0800 deliberately lied.

He alleged prosecution intermediaries and witnesses P-0613 and P-0800 tampered and/or interfered with the collection of evidence, “by identifying and coaching witnesses to give false information during investigations, which then formed the basis of the case against Mr Ruto”.

“In addition, the defence submits that the prosecution evidence gives reason to believe that ICC staff members may have engaged in sexual relations with witnesses and their families, been bribed by witnesses,” Mr Ruto said in the filing

He accused the intermediaries of being party to the submission of false financial claims, breaches of victims and witnesses unit protocols by witnesses, and false financial claims.

Mr Khan, therefore, asked the ICC to appoint an amicus prosecutor who would be reporting to Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and her deputy James Stewart “and separated by “Chinese walls” from any prosecution staff member with any connection to the original trial proceedings in this case” to receive and investigate the information in the defence’s possession.