A corruption suspect requests not to take plea at Nyahururu court due to mood swings
Two men who appeared before Nyahururu Chief Magistrate Charles Obulutsa failed to answer to charges of embezzling public money after one of the accused claimed he had a mental disorder.
The were arrested on January 31 by Ethics and Anti-Corruption (EACC) sleuths for misappropriation of funds at Laikipia East Constituency Development office.
The EACC alleged that Arnold Karani and Joseph Mburu Chege embezzled CDF when they served as Laikipia East Development Account Manager and Senior Accountant respectively.
Defence lawyers representing Karani however stalled the plea taking process after claiming that their client had a mental condition, and as such could not proceed to take plea.
“My client here has a rare mental condition known as bipolar disorder. He therefore is not in a position to take plea since the illness causes mood swings that badly affect judgement,” the defense said.
The state counsel was having none of it and insisted that this was a fraud case which needed to be expedited fast in the interest of justice.
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“Your honor, this is a very shallow reason that should not deter this case from proceeding, the suspect here had the condition mentioned even when loss of public money was happening,” Prosecution Counsel Ms. Gladys Rugut interjected.
The two will be brought back to court on February 17, this year when the court will decide whether the mental disorder is reason enough for not taking plea.
