Former Ol Joro Orok MP faces probe over misuse of CDF funds

Former Ol Joro Orok MP John Waiganjo. The EACC has has obtained court orders to investigate his bank accounts following claims of fraud, embezzlement and misappropriation of CDF money during his tenure in office. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • EACC also got a warrant to investigate, inspect and obtain financial transaction statements of two bank accounts.
  • The accounts are held at KCB Bank and Equity Bank Nyahururu town branches.
  • The details would also constitute evidence of the alleged offences, the court heard.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has obtained court orders to investigate bank accounts belonging to former Ol Joro Orok MP John Waiganjo following claims of fraud, embezzlement and misappropriation of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) money during his tenure in office.

Nyeri Resident Magistrate Ruth Kefa heard that the investigation report is needed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji.

EACC also got a warrant to investigate, inspect and obtain financial transaction statements of two bank accounts operated by the Ol Joro Orok’s CDF committee.

The accounts are held at KCB Bank and Equity Bank Nyahururu town branches, the magistrate heard Wednesday.

COMPLAINTS

While issuing the orders, the court heard that the commission has received complaints of fraud, embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds against Mr Waiganjo, who is a lawyer based in Nairobi.

The EACC detectives will also access a bank accounts held by Mr Waiganjo’s law firm, M/s J.M Waiganjo and Company Advocates.

“We have received credible information that there were suspicious financial transactions involving the four bank accounts during Mr Muriithi’s term as MP. The transactions involved the transfer of funds from the constituency’s CDF commercial bank accounts to the law firm’s bank account,” EACC’s investigator Mary Yator told the court in the application.

She stated that according to the Constitution and the EACC Act, 2011, the commission has the authority to conduct investigations into allegations of corruption and economic crimes.

INVESTIGATIONS

“In exercise of its mandate, the commission is conducting investigations with a view to ascertaining whether Mr Waiganjo was involved in the offences as alleged,” said Ms Yator.

She told the court that preliminary investigations suggest that the funds that were subject to the suspicious transactions were proceeds of corruption and economic crimes.

The transaction details regarding the four bank accounts are necessary in the compilation of a report that is required by the DPP.

The details would also constitute evidence of the alleged offences, the court heard.

Ms Yator convinced the magistrate that the information is important, necessary and relevant to the investigations.