CORD leader Raila Odinga has vowed to sue Deputy President William Ruto, over claims that he owes Mumias Sugar a multi-million debt.
The threat to sue came amid heightened tension surrounding the sugar debate, which has since degenerated into a political storm.
Claims have emerged that Spectre International, a firm associated with the Odinga family, was among 13 companies that Mumias had instructed its lawyers to recover millions of shillings from.
Gakoi Maina & Co Advocates reportedly wrote to Spectre last October asking for Sh33,960,797, which it described as a “long standing debt,” the Nation reports.
On Sunday Raila’s lawyer Paul Mwangi argued that the move to link the CORD leader to Mumias’s problems was “politically motivated”.
“All these claims are politically instigated. They want to link him personally to the problems facing Mumias Sugar Company in order to bring him down politically. That is why tomorrow we are moving to court to file a suit,” he said.
The demand letter to Spectre International says that the firm bought molasses from the sugar firm on credit, between March 2012 and April 2013, with a promise to pay within 30 days.
According to the law firm, the set period within which the outstanding debt was supposed to be cleared has since elapsed.
However, the CORD leader has faulted the motive behind the demands to pay the debt, noting that the law firm has never gone to court against Spectre International over the alleged debt.
“One has to question why the letters are circulating now. You wonder how a company instructs a law firm in 2013 to write a demand letter and a year later instructs a different law firm to file another demand letter. If there had been a genuine legal claim, a suit in court, the company would have acted,” said Odinga’s lawyer.
The former prime minister has since denied owing Mumias sugar company any money.
