Nick Mwendwa freed after court quashed Sh38m graft case

FKF) president Nick Mwendwa. [File, Standard]

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa has been freed.

This was after a court sitting in Kiambu dismissed a case of Sh38m theft which Mwendwa was implicated. The case was filed against him by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji.

In his verdict, Kiambu Senior Principal Magistrate Wilson Rading directed that the FKF boss should not be apprehended and charged based on the same findings presented by the probe team.

This means that Mwendwa can now go back to discharging his duties as the head of FKF.

The facts presented in court were a result of a probe conducted by a ‘caretaker committee’.

The committee had been appointed by former Sports CS Amina Mohammed. Therefore, the magistrate concluded that they were inconclusive.

Mwendwa's lawyers Eric Mutua, Charles Njenga and Victor Omwebu asked the court to terminate the criminal case

Mwendwa was charged with graft two times. The second prosecution was done barely 24 hours after the State withdrew graft charges against him.

The charges were first withdrawn after the magistrates’ court insisted that the criminal case should proceed albeit prayers by the prosecution to adjourn in a bid to review the evidence produced against Mwendwa.

Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji had prayed that the case should be adjourned to allow him to review the evidence before commencing the hearing.

However, Mwendwa’s lawyers Eric Mutua, Charles Njena and Victor Omwebu opposed the application arguing that the State was delaying the hearing.

In the case, the court heard that Mwendwa is being investigated for allegedly transferring Sh8.5 million from the FKF account to his personal accounts and authorising the fictitious withdrawal of Sh29.5 million from the federation’s account.