4th December, 2018
The promise by Director of Public Prosecutions that he would bring on board lawyers from the private sector to help with some of the high profile cases has come to pass. Yes, the DPP Noordin Haji has appointed Queen’s Counsel Khawar Qureshi to lead prosecution of cases involving state and public officers. Haji, in a statement says the appointment of London based lawyer is informed by the need to avoid conflict between the ODPP and the Judiciary. That reason among others is a clear pointer that the case against Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu is among the cases that Qureshi will mandate to prosecute. The appointment of has elicited an a array of reactions from the legal fraternity especially after the DPP said the statement that he could not get any private legal counsel for the job due to the unique nature of requirements and the complexity of cases. But did he follow the due process in single sourcing the prosecutor?