NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 30-The International Criminal Court on Friday freed Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru who is facing witness tampering charges on a Sh1 million bond.
Gicheru will now be allowed to travel back to Kenya once he meets the conditions set out by the court, including informing the court where travels to or resides at any given time.
“Shall reside in Kenya at a specific address for the duration of the proceedings when not present in the Netherlands for the purposes of court proceedings, unless otherwise authorized in advance by the Chamber,” reads a statement by the ICC.
He is required to comply fully with all orders issued in by the court and must be ready to surrender himself immediately to the relevant authorities if required by the Chamber.
He warned not to obstruct or endanger the investigation or the court proceedings and is barred from engaging in any activities, directly or indirectly, that are prohibited under article 70 of the Statute.
“The conditions also limit him from contacting, directly or indirectly, any of the Prosecutor’s witnesses or victims in the case, except through counsel authorized to represent him before the Court and in accordance with the applicable protocols,” the court ordered.
Gicheru surrendered to The Hague authorities in November last year after a five year search alongside two others on suspected offenses against the administration of justice and corruptly influencing witnesses of the court in the case against Deputy President William Ruto which was dropped.
Ruto was facing charges in the ICC alongside President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Head of the Civil Service Francis Muthaura, former Police Commissioner Mohamed Ali, former Cabinet Minister Henry Kosgey and radio journalist Joshua arap Sang.
The famous ‘Ocampo Six’ were accused of murder, deportation or forceful transfer of population, persecution, rape, and other inhumane acts during the 2007 post-election violence that left more than 1,100 people dead.
The chaos erupted in December 2007 after Kenya’s third President Mwai Kibaki was announced the winner in a vote contested by Opposition chief Raila Odinga who claimed it had been rigged.
The two were later reconciled in an international mediation process that led to a power-sharing agreement ending the worst violence in the country’s history.
