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Wetangula grilled by anti graft sleuths

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 21 – Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula was interrogated by detectives from Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday over the questionable purchase of the Kenya embassy property in Japan.

KACC Spokesman Nicholas Simani told Capital News on Wednesday that the Minister was questioned in his office for several hours as Kenyans celebrated Mashujaa Day.

“We have already recorded a statement from the Minister. Our detectives had a session with him in his office yesterday [Wednesday] where he was able to answer several questions,” Mr Simani said on telephone.

KACC Director Patrick Lumumba had said the commission would question the Minister on Wednesday despite it being a national holiday.

“It was a scheduled session, even the Minister was aware in advance and our detectives were in his office where he was interrogated,” he added.

Journalists camped at the KACC offices for the better part of Wednesday waiting for the Minister but he did not show up.

The KACC did not inform the journalists that the Minister was being grilled at his Foreign Affairs office on Harambee Avenue.

The Commission is seeking to establish if any of the ministry officials, particularly those at the top were liable in the loss of some Sh1.7 billion in the dubious deal to purchase property in Japan.

Mr Wetangula has insisted the purchase of the property was above board and has vowed to put a strong defense on allegations leveled against him.

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Mr Simani told Capital that detectives would now study Mr Wetangula’s recorded statement well as others recorded by his Permanent Secretary Thuita Mwangi and other ministry officials both in Nairobi and Japan.

On Thursday, Parliament was expected to debate a report that recommends the resignation of the Foreign Affairs Minister and his PS. The Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Foreign Relations wants the two to step aside over the controversial deal.

Here is the report.

Last week, Mr Wetangula temporarily escaped the wrath of MPs when debate on a report by the Parliamentary committee that has recommended his resignation was put off.

Wetangula told Parliament that he only received the report last Thursday morning, and had no time to peruse it

An order paper for Parliament’s business scheduled on Thursday showed that the report would be debated.

The report by the Departmental Committee on Defense and Foreign Relations contains details of the procurement, disposal and construction of properties of Kenya’s Diplomatic Missions in Egypt, Japan, Nigeria, Belgium and Pakistan.

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