The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has maintained its stance on the graft case facing Cabinet Secretary nominee for Cooperatives & MSME Development Wycliffe Oparanya.
Oparanya, who is yet to face a parliamentary vetting committee, faces a corruption case that has now turned into a war between EACC and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
While the DPP withdrew the case affecting the former Kakamega County governor, the anti-graft agency has maintained its stance that Oparanya has a case to answer.
In a statement on X, on August 2, 2024, EACC explained why it did not accept DPP’s request to withdraw the case.
“The commission clarifies that while it is true that on July 25, 2024, the ODPP delivered to the commission a letter dated July 8, 2024, withdrawing the DPP’s decision of December 18, 2023, that had granted EACC consent to charge Oparanya, the commission did not accept the DPP’s u-turn on the matter.
“Instead, the commission wrote back to the DPP, reiterating its earlier recommendation to charge all suspects, including Wycliffe Oparanya and his lawyer Ken Nyaundi,” the EACC statement read.
Oparanya, according to the anti-graft watchdog, is facing offence of corruption, abuse of office, conflict of interest, and money laundering.
“The decision of EACC not to comply with the DPP’s directive that the file be closed and the case terminated was informed by the commission’s detailed reasons in its response to him, including the cogent evidence on record, which the DPP had earlier found sufficient in granting consent to prosecute the suspects for conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption, abuse of office, conflict of interest, and money laundering,” it added.
The EACC also defended itself, saying that it had not acted with malice in the corruption case against Oparanya, who is among the new nominees in a broad-based proposed cabinet by President William Ruto.
