Two high profile corruption cases involving DP Ruto may impact his ICC case to his detriment.
Businessman Herbert Ojwang’ and billionaire mineral magnet Jacob Juma have taken on the DP in two cases which may give Bensouda much needed evidence to destroy the image of a ‘righteous, God fearing, church attending man’ that lawyer Karim Khan has built of his client.
Already, Juma has successfully exposed, in court documents, how DP Ruto and his agents grabbed public land belonging to KCAA and another belonging to Nairobi City Council for the construction of a sewer line.
The suit has evidentially unearthed how William Ruto is prone to sleaze, especially involving public land. Add this to the grabbing of IDP Muteshi land in his Eldoret backyard, the epicentre of post election violence, then Madam Bensouda can, even without the corrupt kikuyu witnesses now signing out of the case after getting their money (bribed to withdraw), put up a strong case on the DP.
Bensouda has also got hold of one of the DP Ruto properties -Weston Hotel – which can easily be used to pay victims and survivors of Kiambaa Church slaughter and other post-election casualties their compensation dues. This is however a long shot as ODM MP Junet Mohammed revealed there are plans to force the government to repossess the said hotel for ‘public use’ just as KICC was snatched from KANU.
DP Ruto trial at the Hague resumes on June 16 and will run till July 16. His lawyers have indicated they will file no case to answer.
“So in essence, Ruto will have to juggle in one hand a cantankerous defamation suit against him touching on Fraud, Graft and everything Corruption. On the other hand, at the ICC his defence team will continue to maintain how ‘Kenya’s public servant number two’ is upright and of impeccable integrity” observed a blogger.
Herbert Ojwang’, a former Raila aide who is now a known state house operative (cuts deals for the government) Â has threatened DP Ruto with a defamation suit. DP Ruto and his handlers referred to Ojwang’ as a conman, which the businessman claim is injurious to his reputation as honest, modest broker.
Brokerage is not illegal in Kenya.
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