The Anti-Corruption Court is on Thursday is expected to rule on whether embattled former Nairobi governor, Mike Sonko, will be produced in court in person for the mention of his Sh10 million corruption case which he skipped today.
This comes after his lawyer John Khaminwa on Wednesday informed Nairobi Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti that the former governor was unable to attend court as he is currently admitted at Nairobi Hospital and is heavily guarded by anti-terrorism police.
“I do not have good news as my client is still admitted at Nairobi Hospital owing to cardiac problems, high blood pressure among other conditions,” said Khaminwa.
The lawyer also tabled in court two medical documents from the hospital, saying that the doctors have indicated that the accused’s condition has not improved yet.
He said that Sonko was returned to Nairobi Hospital after his health deteriorated while appearing for his terrorism case at Kahawa Law Courts.
On Wednesday, Sonko failed to appear in court as expected in the afternoon to present all documentary evidence from his former defense lawyers Cecil Miller and George Kethi, a duo he dismissed on January 26 during the hearing of his corruption case.
Last week, Ogoti had directed Miller and Kethi to hand over all documentary evidence supplied to them by the state to Sonko’s new legal team within 48 hours.
But Khaminwa, who is now Sonko’s lead counsel, said Miller and Kethi are yet to comply with the court directive.
Khaminwa sought an adjournment until April when Sonko will be fit to appear in court.
But the public prosecutor opposed the request for the adjournment and urged the court to issue an order to have Sonko produced in court as they have not been supplied with the medical documents showing that the accused is admitted to the hospital.
“We have not been shown the medical documents by Sonko and we can not comment on them. Yesterday, Sonko was taken to Kahawa and Kiambu Law Courts and we wonder why he was not brought before you,” said the public prosecutor.
The prosecutor said their office and the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission, who are complainants in the case, have a right to a fair hearing under Article 50 of the Constitution.
In the case before the court, Sonko was charged with demanding Sh10 million bribe from Web Tribe Ltd through ROG Security Limited as an inducement to facilitate payments by the Nairobi County government.
Web Tribe Ltd had been contracted by the Nairobi City County Government six years ago to collect revenue.
The governor is said to have committed the offense between January 10 and 19, 2019 within the city.
