NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 21 – Deputy President William Ruto’s defence counsel has accused a witness of getting caught ‘red handed’ in a con by the Victims and Witness Unit (VWU) of the International Criminal Court.
The witness, identified in court as P0800 claims he was enticed to recant his evidence but Ruto’s lawyer Shyamala Alegandra accused him of lying to the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) that he was robbed of phones and money in a bid to receive compensation.
She accused him of lying that his three phones and Sh2,000 – given to him by the OTP – had been stolen by three unidentified men on his way to the supermarket at night. But in a surprise visit by the VWU, Alegandra claimed, it was established that his phones remained in his possession.
“They caught you red handed, didn’t they?” Alegandra posed. “The VWU paid you a surprise visit Mr Witness and they discovered that there were no phones taken from you.”
The witness however denied these accusations and when questioned on why he didn’t report the robbery to the police, he explained that he did not want his identity as an ICC witness compromised.
Alegandra however went on to accuse him of attempting to use the robbery claim to show that his life was in danger in Africa in the hopes that he would be relocated to Europe; arguing that the witness’ entire testimony was driven by self-interest and therefore not to be believed.
“It has never been my intention to use this case to improve my life or so,” the witness however maintained.
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