UPDATE: 10:45 AM: Joseph Maritim's lawyer has refuted allegations that his client fled the country with the fear of facing arrest.
Speaking at the Nakuru High Court, Maritim's lawyer revealed that his client is in Canada and travelled overseas before the investigations kickstarted.
The lawyer also urged the court to grant his client a conservatory bail noting that Maritim was willing to cooperate with the police and the court.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Wednesday revealed that one official linked to the Jackson Mandago Finland Scholarship scandal sneaked out of the country after investigations commenced.
DCI's statement came hours after Senator Mandago, who is also the former governor, was arrested at his Eldoret home.
The other three suspects were picked separately as pressure mounts to hold to account top officials who fleeced parents over Ksh1 billion in a dubious scholarship scheme.
"A fourth suspect Joseph Maritim, is believed to have sneaked out of the country at the height of the investigation," DCI reported in a statement.
According to the DCI, arrest warrants were issued after the suspects failed to appear in court, leading to hours of hot pursuit that led to the arrest of three suspects.
Mandago's arrest followed after he indicated that he had met the families affected and were working on a plan to refund the sums of money that are alleged to have been used to line the pockets of some corrupt county officials and aides.
"Earlier, the trio had failed to appear in court to face charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, abuse of office among other charges, prompting a warrant of arrest to be issued for their immediate arrest," DCI noted.
It has emerged that some of the county officials handled huge sums of money between April and September last year, around the same time the country was in a heated election campaign.
According to parents, county officials hatched the plan to send their children for overseas studies which required them to contribute parts of the cost while the county promised to top up.
Months after the programme had kicked off, students were left to fend for themselves with the county failing to remit tuition and accommodation fees as was agreed in the deal.
Some students were forced to drop out and return to the county to nothing, with a reported case of one who ended his life due to the suffering.
Efforts by the parents to get justice have been met with threats, which led to the recent explosive meeting with county officials, leading to the current investigations.
President William Ruto on Wednesday told the officials to refund the money and carry their own cross.
