After five years since a warrant of arrest was issued by the International
Criminal Court against Dutch-based Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru, he has finally presented himself to the authorities.
Gicheru on Monday surrendered to authorities in the Netherlands.
He stands accused of alleged tampering with witnesses who were set to testify in crimes against humanity cases following 2007/08 post-election violence in Kenya.
In a statement sent to newsrooms by the ICC after his surrender, the Hague-based court said that Gicheru “is suspected of offences against the administration of justice consisting in corruptly influencing witnesses of the Court.”
Further: “The Court, through the Registry services, submitted a cooperation request to the Dutch authorities for the arrest and surrender of Mr Gicheru to the Court upon completion of the necessary national arrest proceedings.”
In 2015, the ICC issued arrest warrants against the Kenyan lawyer together with Philip Kipckoech Bett and Walter Barasa over alleged “corrupt tampering with witnesses.”
The ICC while issuing the arrest warrants cited that the three Kenyans attempted and obstructed the course of justice on the Kenyan cases at the ICC.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto and radio journalist Joshua arap Sang had been charged with crimes against humanity.
The cases were later thrown out.
ICC said that the 2015 warrants of arrest for Gicheru and Bett were kept silent to ensure that the suspects do not flee the country or “endanger the investigation or court proceedings and to prevent the further exercise of corrupt influence on the witnesses.”
The witness tampering case against Gicheru has never picked up since the ICC does not charge in absentia.
Bett is still at large as Gicheru comes to terms with the new development where he has to defend himself from the accusation of tampering with witnesses and obstruction of justice by ICC prosecutors.
