Two NYS scam suspects in court to stop money laundering case
National Youth Service graft suspects appear before Nairobi Chief Magistrate Daniel Ogembo. Two suspects have moved to court to stop the Director of Public Prosecutions from charging them with money laundering. PHOTO | PAUL WAWERU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The suspects claim the decision to charge them is malicious.
- The 11 suspects were summoned to appear in court on March 8 to plead to 14 charges of money laundering.
Two suspects, who are among 11 people summoned to plead to money laundering charges in the Sh791 million National Youth Service scandal, have moved to court to stop the case.
Mr Paul Kinuthia Gachoka and Mr John Hope Van Damme have sued the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) seeking to stop their arrest and prosecution.
Through lawyer Stephen Gachie, the two claim they are innocent and are being used to cover up and divert public attention from the real culprits.
They argue that Banking Fraud Investigation Unit officers who investigated and recommended their prosecution are also being investigated by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission for allegedly covering up the scam.
They claim the decision to charge them is malicious.
Another suspect in the case, Mr John Kago Ndung’u, recently wrote to the DPP asking that the money laundering charges be dropped and fresh investigations into the case launched.
Mr Ndung’u, in a letter to the DPP, claims detectives involved in the case are under investigation for the way they handled the matter.
The credibility of the police investigations was questioned after Ms Josephine Kabura Irungu, another suspect, swore an affidavit in court that implicates former Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru, police officers and senior officials in the scandal.
The 11 suspects were summoned to appear in court on March 8 to plead to 14 charges of money laundering.
