Over Sh16b recovered in graft war

Mr. Churchill Otieno (Left) Kenya Editors Guild President, Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji (Centre) and Dr. Wilfred Kiboro (Right) Multisectoral initiative against corruption receiving gifts for supporting media freedom during the Kenya Editors Guild press club luncheon on media and corruption. [Wilberforce Okwiri/Standard]

The Government has so far recovered more than Sh16 billion in the ongoing corruption purge, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP Noordin Haji has revealed.

Mr Haji indicated that the amount recovered from April last year was expected to be much more with the completion of active cases involving State agencies, ministries and county governments.

“Sh16.81 billion has been brought in from the corruption cases. For instance, National Hospital Insurance Fund, we have only dealt with one component on capitation," said Haji.

He stated that more than Sh3 billion worth of assets had been preserved and recovered and over Sh2.5 billion worth in taxes accessed from corruption cases.

The DPP highlighted a number of cases his office was dealing with, such as the Government Advertising Agency, Sh900 million money laundering case at Royal Jersey Court, the Sh3.2 billion Ruaraka land case, Anglo-leasing and National Youth Service.

While addressing the Kenya Editors’ Guild Press Club luncheon at a Nairobi hotel yesterday, Haji detailed his progress on the Jersey case.

In the Jersey case, the AG of Jersey had requested for the extradition of former Cabinet Minister Chris Okemo and former Kenya Power and Lighting Company (now Kenya Power) MD Samuel Gichuru in 2011 over money laundering.

“In the next two weeks, I will be travelling to Jersey to sit and agree with the authorities on how to work outside the box. The current road block will not deter us from pursuing the case,” he said.

He said he could not accept the status quo because criminal cases fell under his office and not that of the Attorney General.

“There are innovative ways to prosecute the matter. We won’t be defeated. We can prosecute the case locally by allowing the Jersey court to sit in Kenya,” he said.

There has been a protracted effort to extradite the two to face the charges in Jersey.