Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru has been released by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Ksh1 million bond.
Gicheru surrendered himself to the Hague-based court in November, 2020 after five years since a warrant of arrest was issued.
He faces criminal charges of tampering with witnesses in the crime against humanity cases that Deputy President William Ruto was once charged with at the court.
With the bond, he is allowed to travel back to Kenya. However, he must give the exact details of where he will reside and the duration so long as the cases continue.
“Shall reside in Kenya at a specific address for the duration of the proceedings when not present in the Netherlands for the purposes of court proceedings, unless otherwise authorized in advance by the Chamber,” a statement by the ICC read.
The ICC insisted that Gicheru must show strong compliance with the orders given by the court.
Another condition set by the court is that he must avail himself whenever the court want deems fit.
“The conditions also limit him from contacting, directly or indirectly, any of the Prosecutor’s witnesses or victims in the case, except through counsel authorized to represent him before the Court and in accordance with the applicable protocols,” ICC directed.
Gicheru’s surrender sparked a debate and tension in DP Ruto’s camp. Ruto is reportedly said to have reached out to his ICC lawyers led by Karim Khan over the possible reopening of his case.
However, the ICC in response to these rumours said that Gicheru’s case was not reopening the case of DP Ruto which was thrown out in 2015 by the ICC on grounds of insufficient evidence.
