Third International Criminal Court witness says he was paid to testify

A third witness now claims he was offered money to fabricate evidence against Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang.

The witness told the International Criminal Court (ICC) that he was also promised residence outside the country by two intermediaries he met in October 2012.

He said he was then given the evidence which he was asked to record with the ICC investigators in November 2012.

The witness, who was testifying from Nairobi through video link, told the Trial Chamber V(a) that he met the two unnamed persons in Eldoret for three hours. The two were also set to make their statements with the investigators.

He said he was asked to include some material in the statement, some incorrect.

The witness said he was required to state that he had attended meetings in which the 2007-2008 post-election violence was planned in the North Rift.

"I was supposed to mention the meetings as if I had attended them and say I had witnessed the fighting," he said. "I was promised money and relocation to a foreign country. That is why I said what I said to the investigators and my account had to be credible so that I would be entitled to the money."

The witness was being led through his evidence by prosecuting counsel Anton Steynberg.

"When we met for three hours, we talked about the content of my statement. They told me that I would have to add those events in my statement. I was told to include some events that never took place," said the witness.

He told the court that he did not attend any ODM political rallies addressed by Ruto before the 2007 elections, either in public or in private.

He said when the chaos broke out in Turbo, he took his family to a police post.
"I went to the police post because people were screaming and there was trouble including burning of houses. I felt things were not secure and went to seek refuge," he recalled.

He is one of the witnesses who had recanted their statements but have been compelled to testify. Two other witnesses have admitted before the court, to have fabricated statements against the two accused after being promised money.The two were however declared hostile for recanting their evidence and going against the prosecution's case.