Waititu suffers third blow as court declines to vary bond terms in graft case
The judge further reminded Waititu's lawyer that the case involves other accused persons who remain in custody and had complained about delays in the proceedings.
The High Court has rejected an application by former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu seeking to vary his bond terms in a corruption case.
Justice Lucy Njuguna on Tuesday declined Waititu's request to substitute a Sh53 million bank guarantee with a cash deposit, noting that the orders previously issued would remain in force.
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"I will not vary those orders. Honestly, I did the best I could based on the material placed before me. You placed material that persuaded me, and I was gracious enough to grant those orders," Justice Njuguna said.
The judge further reminded Waititu's lawyer that the case involves other accused persons who remain in custody and had complained about delays in the proceedings.
"That's why I gave 120 days, and for the record, the 120 days start from today. It's on that basis that I said no more fresh applications should be made so that we concentrate on the appeal and get it out of the way," she ruled.
Waititu, who has been unable to raise the Sh53 million bank guarantee, will therefore remain in custody pending the hearing and determination of his appeal.
The former governor, popularly known as Baba Yao, was charged in 2019 alongside his wife, Susan Wangari and several county officials over the alleged irregular award of road construction tenders worth Sh588 million during his tenure as Kiambu governor.
The prosecution claims that companies linked to Waititu and his associates benefited from the contracts.
He was impeached in January 2020 after the Kiambu County Assembly and the Senate upheld charges of gross misconduct and abuse of office.
The criminal case has since faced numerous adjournments, with Waititu repeatedly seeking favourable bail terms.
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