{UAH} Pojim/WBK: I love Chicken!!!!! Poll chief questioned on his bank accounts - News - nation.co.ke
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Poll chief questioned on his bank accounts - News
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Electoral commission chairman Issack Hassan was Thursday questioned about his bank accounts when he appeared before the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission which is investigating the "chicken" bribery scandal.
Sources at EACC said the detectives were interested in Mr Hassan's bank accounts between October 2008 and December 2010, the period during which the directors of British firm Smith & Ouzman allegedly bribed Kenyan officials of the now defunct Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) officials to induce them to award the company lucrative tenders to print ballot papers.
The IEBC boss — who also served as the chairman of IIEC — was asked whether he received the alleged bribes through the British firm's local agent, Mr Trevy James Oyombra, as claimed in prosecution documents during the trial of Smith&Ouzman directors in a London court between last year and last month.
Collectively, Mr Oyombra channelled Sh50 million to IIEC and Kenya National Examinations Council officials to induce them to award printing tenders to the British firm. It was not clear how much each of the alleged beneficiaries received.
The bribes have since been christened "chicken" after the London firm's directors claimed the Kenyan officials were demanding for "chicken" after awarding contracts to the company and during their visits to London.
Last week, Mr Nicholas Charles Smith, 43, was jailed for three years by the Southwark Crown Court for bribing IIEC officials to be awarded contracts to print ballot papers. His father, Christopher John Smith, received an 18-month suspended jail term. Their company will be sentenced later in the year.
While leaving Integrity Centre in Nairobi where he was questioned for two and a half hours on Thursday, Mr Hassan declared that he was innocent.
He stated that even though some election officials were mentioned adversely in the court papers presented in London during the trial of Smith & Ouzman Ltd directors, that did not mean they were guilty.
"We were not accused or suspects in London. The accused in London were the two mzungus (whites) and their agent in the UK. We were not called to give evidence and it is not correct to say that because someone was jailed in the UK, the same should happen here," he told journalists.
Mr Hassan and Energy Secretary Davis Chirchir are among five people who have been summoned for questioning over the scandal that led to the jailing of Mr Smith and his son.
Mr Chirchir, who worked as a commissioner at IIEC before being appointed to the Cabinet, will be questioned today.
Former IEBC chief executive James Oswago had on Wednesday said he was ready to meet the EACC investigators but he was yet to receive summons to appear before them.
He is expected to be questioned on Tuesday, the same day Mr Paul Wasanga, the former KNEC chief executive, is expected to be questioned. Mr Oyombra will be questioned later the same week.
Yesterday, Mr Hassan said at the end of his questioning: "I had been invited by EACC to give them some answers to some questions they had on the procurement of ballot materials. We had a very good session."
He said he was ready to record other statements with the anti-corruptin commission in relation to the scandal to clear his name.
"I offered to give them (EACC detectives) further clarifications on the issues they were questioning me. I told them I am also ready to record further statements," he said and maintained he played no role in the scandal.
He also accused the media of prosecuting him and other election officials and "declaring us guilty in the court of public opinion".
"I am myself innocent of all these allegations, I have been take through the mud by some of the media houses and I feel very bad and I hope this questioning shall vindicate me," he said.
Asked if the scandal had eroded the commission's ability to conduct the 2017 General Election, Mr Hassan said: "We will cross that bridge when we reach there".
Additional reporting by Samwel Born
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