{UAH} Standard Digital News - Kenya : Mutea Iringo demands apology from Ruto’s legal team for implicating him in alleged witness coaching
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Standard Digital News - Kenya : Mutea Iringo demands apology from Ruto's legal team for implicating him in alleged witness coaching
By ALPHONCE SHIUNDU and CYRUS OMBATI
NAIROBI, KENYA: The Jubilee Government moved to stem a simmering political fallout over allegations that top of?cials fabricated evidence to nail Deputy President William Ruto at the ICC. Majority Leader Adan Duale denied claims that powerful people in the administration of President Uhuru Kenyatta, while serving in former President Kibaki's Government, coached witnesses to fix Ruto over 2008 post-election violence.
Duale, a member of Ruto's URP party, made the statement in the National Assembly, as he blamed the opposition CORD for exploiting the allegations thatRuto was fixed to drive a wedge between the President and his deputy.
"There's nobody in government who coached (witnesses) and fixed Ruto. We don't want this matter to be political. URP and TNA are more united than ever before. There's nobody in government who has fixed either Hon Ruto or Hon Kenyatta," Duale told the House Wednesday.
But the controversy sparked by Ruto's defence team while cross-examining a witness at The Hague, and which gained momentum after close allies of the DP demanded the sacking of 10 officials, raged on.
Wednesday, Interior Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo, who was named during The Hague proceedings, came out to refute claims that he coached witnesses to fixRuto.
Iringo has demanded an apology from the Deputy President's legal team for implicating him in the alleged coaching of witnesses while the Waki commission investigated the post-poll violence.
"I have never been part of the alleged witness protection scheme/programme, which is supposed to have disbursed cash to those who would testify against His Excellency Deputy President during the Waki Commission hearings and I am not aware of any group that was allegedly tasked with identifying witnesses to present to the commission," Iringo said.
TARNISHING NAMES
"As a respected and experienced lawyer, I expect that the legal team that you head should avoid playing political games and instead conduct legitimate credible investigations without tarnishing names of innocent individuals using the privilege ofICC forum, when these individuals may have no means and or similar platform to respond to such accusations," Iringo wrote in the letter addressed to Ruto's lead lawyer, Karim Khan.
But Khan answered back saying he had "received an e-mail from an unknown person last night attaching an unsigned letter purportedly from one Mutea Iringo" but "the proper forum for presenting evidence is before a court of law."
"It is not appropriate to engage in collateral litigation through the press. Suffice it to say that my defence team has been working tirelessly to investigate the genesis of this case against His Excellency William Ruto and to present reliable, authentic and truthful evidence before the court," Khan said in a statement.
Khan added they would press on to assist the judges to properly evaluate evidence, which entailed "vigorous and thorough investigations by the defence team."
"We will not be deterred by any pressure or extraneous interests or attempt to dissuade us in the discharge of our responsibilities. All should allow the ICCthe space to do its job. If that is done, we are confident that justice will be done," Khan said.
STOKED THE FIRE
Jubilee's Deputy Majority Leader at the Senate, Kericho Senator Charles Keter, stoked the fire by calling for the sacking of the officials, alleging they couldn't continue working for a government whose Deputy President they plotted to have jailed.
Keter also belongs to Ruto's URP party.
Duale urged politicians to be sober while making utterances in public platforms.
"All politicians should speak only when they are sober, particularly over the weekend. It depends on where you slept and where you have been. Let's speak with sobriety so that we give the right message to the country," he told the House.
But Deputy Minority Leader Jakoyo Midiwo was not convinced that the people in government had clean hands regarding the cases at the ICC.
"We listen to trial at the Hague every day. We listen to the lies or the truths. But why are people sitting in the Executive with people who framed Ruto? What is the opinion of the government?
"When will they resign? I also want to know. The same people are the ones who led us to the violence in 2007," said Midiwo.
Midiwo added: "The carelessness with which politicians are treating this issue is unacceptable for our country".
The MPs also took issue with the statement that some MPs wanted to mobilise youths to block the airport so that the President does not travel for his date with the ICCcome February.
Francis Waititu (Juja) added that he was willing to resign if Kenyatta honours his date with the International Criminal Court.
"I will resign from this Parliament if an elected President will go to The Hague," said Waititu.
But John Mbadi (Suba) insisted the threats to block the runway at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport had security implications.
POSSIBLE INSTABILITY
"Is this talk of demonstration a scheme by the government to create a picture of possible instability in the country so that to justify the request by the AU to the United Nations Security Council to defer the cases that affect two of the Kenyans at The Hague?" asked Mbadi.
Duale said Kenyans were free to go to the airport, but they were not allowed to disrupt operations.
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000097640&story_title=mutea-iringo-demands-apology-from-ruto-s-legal-team-for-implicating-him-in-alleged-witness-coach
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000097640&story_title=war-of-words-over-ruto-fixing-claims
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