NAIROBI, August 27 – Former Internal Security Minister, Dr Chris Murungaru said Wednesday that he would seek alternative means to serve anti corruption crusader John Githongo in a defamation case.
In a statement mailed to newsrooms, Murungaru claimed that the former Permanent Secretary for Ethics and Governance had deliberately evaded service, following a defamation suit he filed in 2006 in which he (Murungaru) was seeking damages after being linked to the Anglo Leasing Scandal.
He claimed that his lawyers had made fruitless attempts to serve Githongo with the papers even after his return from a three-year self exile in the UK.
“He refused to take the service from my lawyers and has not mentioned anything about those papers. He did not take up my challenge and I put to him that he is shallow and a fake hero,” Murungaru claimed.
“This morning (Wednesday), my lawyers attempted to serve him at his mother’s residence and she confirmed that he had left for Europe. The papers were left there on good advice,” he added.
The former Kieni legislator is daring the anti-corruption czar to provide evidence linking him to the much-debated scandal.
“When he was here, as part of the unfinished business he announced he was coming home to take care of, my personal presumption was that he had information which he was going to release in order to provide the evidence that would send those he had accused of corruption to jail,” said Murungaru.
According to court documents, High Court Judge Festus Azangalala ordered that the former PS – who has been in exile in the UK – be served with the suit papers when the matter came up in court in May 2006,
In the defamation suit, Murungaru argued that Githongo’s statement, published on November 22, 2005, could be understood to mean that he engaged in corrupt practices and lacked integrity.
Last Wednesday, the High Court issued summons directing Githongo, who has since returned to the UK, to enter appearance in the defamation suit within 15 days, failure to which the court would enter judgment
“If he is courageous, truthful and honest and he has nothing to hide, even if he says that I wanted to murder him, he should table all of that evidence. He is running away from me and I put it to him that he is a fugitive of justice,” the ex legislator averred.
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