Kenya's lawyer facing ICC over witness bribery found dead

FILE: Lawyer Paul Gicheru

A lawyer who was facing a case at the International Criminal Court [ICC] in The Hague over voter bribery has been found dead at his home in Nairobi, his family confirmed, in what could raise questions about the circumstances of the death and perhaps trigger an enquiry.

Lawyer Paul Gicheru died on Monday night, police confirmed, with the occurrence book confirming that he had foam on his mouth. His body was retrieved from his house within the leafy suburbs of Karen in Nairobi, mostly associated with wealthy people.

The lawyer had concluded his case within ICC and was waiting for the verdict by the criminal court. He's said to have bribed witnesses in the case facing the current President William Ruto at The Hague over Kenya's post-election violence in 2007/08 but the president has since been cleared.

The ICC, in its statement, said following the hearing that lasted two hours, it would hand its verdict within a reasonable time.

“Trial Chamber III will deliberate on the proceedings and, within a reasonable period, pronounce its decision on conviction or acquittal, pursuant to Article 74 of the Rome Statute. The Chamber bases its decision only on the applicable law and on evidence submitted and discussed before it at the trial,” the court statement read.

The renowned lawyer had denied eight counts of offences and interestingly, he never called witnesses to testify during proceedings at The Hague. Police also confirmed that Gicheru's son Allan Njoroge had been hospitalised

He was facing a 30-year jail term should he be found guilty of the charges for allegedly inducing witnesses in the case facing William Ruto and journalist Joshua Arap Sang. The two were cleared in 2016 but a room was left for fresh charges after ICC complained of witness interference.

This was after the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber A on 15 July 2021, confirmed the charges of offences against the administration of justice brought by the Prosecutor and committed him to trial. The ICC accused Gicheru of playing a key role in a scheme to influence witnesses.

A warrant of arrest by ICC was subsequently issued against Gicheru in 2015 for offences against the administration of justice consisting in corruptly influencing witnesses regarding cases from the situation in Kenya.

It's not clear what caused his death and police said an autopsy will be done before a conclusion is reached. His death has triggered online conversation, with many critics arguing that he may have been killed due to information that could be in his possession.

GAROWE ONLINE