A Kisumu-based advocate and a court assistant have been arrested over a complaint made by Kisumu High Court judge Lady Justice Roselyne Aburili.
The advocate, Clifford Odhiambo Gwada, was arrested on Friday, June 14, 2024, alongside court assistant Zakayo Otieno Wambogo.
Confirming the arrest, Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) spokesperson Eric Ngumbi said the two are detained at the Railways/Port police station in Kisumu pending further action.
Ngumbi told K24 Digital that the two were arrested concerning a complaint made by Lady Justice Aburili that the court assistant and advocate had demanded and received Ksh500,000 from a litigant pretending that they were acting on behalf of the Judge.
“In soliciting the bribe, the suspects purported that the Judge wanted it as an inducement to deliver a favourable judgement in a suit she determined on 17th May 2024,” Ngumbi told K24 Digital.
“Lady Justice Aburili, who has since recorded a statement with EACC on the matter, averred that she received information that Advocate Clifford Odhiambo Gwada had handed over Ksh500,000 to her Court Assistant for onward transmission to her without her knowledge.”
According to an anti-graft agency, the judge interviewed the court assistant and the advocate in an open court. They admitted having received the money and divided it amongst themselves.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the money was given to Advocate Clifford Odhiambo Gwada by Peter Warindu and Company Advocates, for whom he was holding brief in the case. The suspect Adovate told the law firm that the Judge had demanded the money in order to issue a judgment in favour of a claimant in an insurance claim,” Ngumbi said.
“Noting the increasing cases of imposters and fraudsters in the justice system extorting money in the names of senior public officials, EACC urges Kenyans to remain vigilant and not fall prey to such fraudulent schemes. All suspected fraudsters should be exposed to EACC through toll-free Line 1551 or other relevant law enforcement agencies for action.”
K24 Digital understands that this is the second time Justice Aburili has reported a similar case to EACC.
When she served in Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi, Justice Aburili reported staff working in her chambers to EACC after they solicited a bribe in her name.
She later testified against them in Court leading to their conviction for giving and receiving a bribe.
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One Response
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.