Court suspends Anglo Leasing case against ailing Mwiraria

The court has suspended  the case against former Cabinet Minister David Mwiraria owing to his deteriorating health.

Mwiraria, through his lawyer Kioko Kilukumi, told Milimani Principal Magistrate Felix Kombo that his health has not improved since he took plea from his hospital bed in December and requested the court to either drop or adjourn the case facing him over the Anglo-Leasing scandal.

Kilukumi also told the court that the three doctors who have examined Mwiraria have resolved that he cannot withstand trial since he is not in a position to sit down for more than 30 minutes.

The prosecution, however, wanted the corruption case against Mwiraria to continue arguing that he has already taken plea and that no new medical documents have been availed as he has already taken plea and that no new medical documents have been availed in court as proof of his current health status.

The court, however, ruled that his co-accused continue with the trial.

Mwiraria is charged alongside Kisii Senator Chris Obure who took plea in March last year.

Senator Obure, former Transport and Communication Permanent Secretary Sammy Kyungu, former Postmaster General Francis Chahonyo and former Finance Secretary Samuel Bundotich have been charged with irregularly authorizing Anglo-Leasing payments.

Mwiraria denied the seven counts of misappropriation of public funds during his tenure as a Cabinet Minister.

He took plea in December last year from his hospital bed at the Karen Hospital and was released on two personal bails of Ksh 1 million on each of the two files containing the charges.

The former minister faces four counts of conspiracy to commit an economic crime to defraud the government of Ksh 4.08 billion in a scam that cost the country a total of Ksh 10 billion.

A separate count accuses him of engaging in a project without prior planning.