The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) now claims that it recovered Ksh6 .2 million from the chambers of High Court Judges Aggrey Muchelule and Said Chitembwe.
Justices Muchelule and Chitembwe were on Monday grilled for hours at the DCI headquarters before being released.
Chief Inspector Felix Banzi, in an affidavit filed in court, said DCI recovered $50,000 (Ksh5.4 million) from an unidentified woman in Justice Muchelule’s chambers and a further $7,000 (760,200) from Chitembwe, totaling to Ksh6.2 million.
Interestingly, an inventory signed by the officers at the chambers said, nothing was found in Justice Muchelule’s chambers.
Lawyer Dunstan Omari representing Kenya Judges and Magistrates Association (KMJA), filed this observation in court.
KMJA moved to court, barring the State from re-arresting the two judges over alleged corruption.
However, DCI has dismissed claims of re-arresting the judges.
Banzi, in the affidavit, told the court that police were tipped on a complaint that some brokers approached the judges with a cash reward for favorable judgment.
“On July 21 at around 3pm I was told by one of the complainants that after a series of meetings between certain judges and brokers a figure of Ksh7 million was arrived at and the bribe was to be delivered to the residence of a judge at 7pm,” Banzi stated.
The Chief Inspector narrated that the involved parties met at 7.45 am in one of the chambers at Milimani law courts on the day police stormed the chambers.
“We waited around the relevant meeting area from our time of arrival until 2pm when information was received that the exchange was about to take place but at chamber 230 which belongs to Justice Michelle,” the affidavit reads.
Justice Chitembwe reportedly arranged the meeting.
Banzi defends the police for failing to obtain a search warrant, arguing that they were tipped on short notice.
He urged the court to dismiss the case by KMJA.
