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Lawyer Accused of Bribery in ICC Kenya Case Is in Detention

Lawyer Accused of Bribery in ICC Kenya Case Is in Detention

A lawyer suspected of bribing witnesses in an International Criminal Court case relating to post-election violence in Kenya turned himself in, five years after the institution issued a warrant for his arrest.

Paul Gicheru on Monday surrendered to the Dutch authorities, who transfered him to The Hague-based institution Tuesday, the court said in a statement on its website. He “is suspected of offenses against the administration of justice consisting in corruptly influencing witnesses of the court,” it said.

The case examined allegations that Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto had a significant role in clashes that followed a disputed election in 2007 and led to the death of more than 1,000 people. The case was terminated in 2016 because the evidence presented against Ruto was weak.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Gicheru and Philip Kipkoech Bett in 2015. Bett is not in ICC custody. Gicheru will appear at the ICC’s pre-trial chamber “shortly after his arrival” and a date to begin the confirmation-of-charges hearing will be set, according to the court.

Related charges against President Uhuru Kenya were withdrawn in 2014 because there wasn’t sufficient evidence.

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