William Ruto’s lawyer tears into prosecution case, says it is ‘fabricated’

Deputy President William Ruto with his lawyers at the ICC in the Netherlands Tuesday.  [Photo: ICC-CPI]

By Augustine Oduor

The Hague, Netherlands: Lawyers of Deputy President William Ruto tore into the prosecution’s case saying it was fabricated and lacked evidence that he was the tribal chief and warmonger the prosecutor depicted him as.

The defence team, led by Karim Khan, also sought to clear Ruto of the “tribal tag” through many clips that stated his stand on land issues and his leadership vision ahead of the General Election.

“Those words from the lips of Mr Ruto are a clear juxtaposition that every conversation pointed to an innocent man. They do not have one minute of video or audio that states contrary to what Ruto believed,” said Khan.

He said the prosecution relied on empty evidence and played empty video that had no sound.

No evidence

“They have no evidence on the tape. But that very video they looked away from is what we have played to get lots of import of evidence,” he said.

The video played captured Ruto telling residents of Rift Valley that none of them will be evicted. “Regardless of where you come from…whether from Western province, Pokot or Lamu, your property is protected here,” Ruto said in the clip.

Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda had played the same clip without audio.

In another clip, Ruto gave an incisive debate about land reforms in a local television show.

Land reforms

He said substantive land reforms that would ensure poor persons and those who hold small pieces of land are protected.

“When an individual is wrongfully accused and dragged in court in front of his wife and children when they are absolutely innocent is not right,” he said.

Khan said Ruto’s sisters are married to Kikuyus and noted that his client bore no ethnic hate.

Khan also argued that Ruto had supported a Kikuyu (Uhuru Kenyatta) for president in 2002, “he then supported Raila Odinga in 2007, a Luo, before supporting a Kikuyu again in 2012,” he said.

“Anybody can google to see what we are saying is true. It makes no sense whatsoever that the evidence produced here speaks contrary to what the facts stand for,” he added.

Khan said Ruto wanted strong defence and not guesswork and fabricated information that could not stand scrutiny.

“We want strong evidence. Not what has been presented to us here by the prosecutor,” said the lawyer.

The defence depicted Ruto as a man who had achieved high political status hence did not need to fight for power in bloody violence.

“From the prosecution’s own evidence we can argue and show that the investigations were completed targeting Mr William Ruto before the judges of this ICC even authorised investigations.

He said the Deputy President wanted all witnesses to go and testify and that no one should pull out from the case.

“We don’t want witnesses to withdraw. We want the witnesses to come and be free to speak to the prosecution, and the defence, to speak the truth. And those who come to this court and speak the truth are heroes. Those willing to speak without inducement or coercion, without fear or favour should be left alone to speak to the prosecution and defence.

Nobody has anything to fear,” his lawyer said.

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