Ochuodho to know fate of fraud case on November 10
Former Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director Dr. Shem Ochuodho who is charged with conspiring to defraud the company over Sh800 million will on November 10 know whether his case will be handled by a new magistrate or not.
When the long drawn case came up for mention before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Chief Magistrate Lawrence Mugambi yesterday, he directed the proceedings in the matter be typed urgently to enable him give proper directions on who is going to hear the case following the transfer of the trial magistrate.
The new development comes after the trial magistrate Douglas Ogoti was transferred to Embu.
Parties in the matter had sought directions under section 200 of the Criminal Procedure Code which makes it mandatory for succeeding magistrate to inform the accused person of his right to have the case proceed where it had stopped or start afresh where an accused can demand to have any witnesses recalled.
Proceed with matter
But Ochuodho urged Mugambi to allow Ogoti to proceed with the matter to its conclusion with the 11 witnesses remaining in the matter with 14 witnesses having testified in the case.
The case has been pending over a decade in court since the accused were first arraigned.
In the matter, Ochuodho is charged alongside the chairman of the board directors of KPC and Directors of Triple A Capital Limited the late John Gichia Macharia and Janice Theresia Wanjiku Kiarie alias Terry Wijenje.
The accused had in 2014 obtained a High Court order barring the criminal proceedings against them after convincing Justice Weldon Korir the refinancing deal at the centre of their predicament had been approved by the AG’s office, which was now prosecuting their case.
