Former Attorney General (AG) Githu Muigai has revealed that overseeing the extradition of ex-Finance Minister Chris Okemo and former Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) boss Samuel Gichuru will be his last duty in office.
According to Daily Nation, AG Muigai further disclosed that his previous efforts to have two deported to New Jersey over corruption allegations and money laundering charges had previously hit a dead-end due to conflict of interest.
A war of supremacy between his office and that of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) under Keriako Tobiko became a challenge.
[caption caption="Samuel Gichuru and Chris Okemo"]
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“My argument was that this is a diplomatic issue and Tobiko insisted that this was his docket,” AG Muigai stated.
However, a recent ruling by the Court of Appeal allowing the office of the Attorney General to continue with the extradition proceedings to the Island of Jersey has opened a new chapter.
The warrant of arrest for Okemo and Gichuru was issued on 20th April 2011 by a New Jersey court and later validated by Kenya's High Court, a move that necessitated their extradition.
Gichuru’s Jersey-registered company, Windward Trading Ltd, pleaded guilty to four counts of money laundering in 2016.
This saw the court seize Sh460 Million and Sh546 Million held in their offshore account in dollars and pounds respectively.
In March 2017, New Jersey struck a deal with the Kenyan government for repatriation of more than Sh380 Million it confiscated from Windward Trading.
[caption caption="Outgoing Attorney General (AG) Githu Muigai"]
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The money stashed by Okemo and Gichuru in the tax haven island is alleged to have been received as kickbacks from contractors during former President Daniel Arap Moi's regime.
