Jersey after my cash, says Gichuru

Two leaders wanted for money laundering have claimed extradition proceedings against them were meant to have the money held in one of their bank accounts given to the Jersey state.

Nambale MP Chris Okemo and former Kenya Power boss Samuel Gichuru told a court that the Jersey authorities wanted the money confiscated to generate substantial amount of revenue for their government.

Through their lawyer Fred Ngatia, the two who are wanted for money laundering offences in Jersey argued that the colossal amount held in the bank account for a company owned by Mr Gichuru was of great interest to the Jersey Island.

“It is an extradition whose whole basis is to confiscate the funds in Jersey,” said Mr Ngatia.

The lawyer, who was presenting arguments during the second day of extradition proceedings against the two, did not disclose the amount in Windward Trading Company’s bank account.

“The amount in my client’s account would be able to appease each of the 70,000 people in Jersey,” said Mr Ngatia.

The account was frozen by police informally in 2002 and has remained in the same state to date, the lawyer told the court.

Mr Gichuru has fought to have the money released to him but the battle eventually resulted in him and Mr Okemo being sought for money laundering, the lawyer argued.

The two, the lawyer added, could not get a fair trial in Jersey because the motive was to confiscate the cash.

Mr Okemo and Mr Gichuru’s trial in Jersey will only be an occasion to confiscate the money informally frozen by the police, he said.

Mr Ngatia argued that the two would also not be accorded a fair trial because there had been inordinate delay in prosecuting the offences alleged to have taken place 21 years ago.

He urged the court to order the accusers of Mr Okemo and Mr Gichuru to travel to Kenya to be questioned by the two.

“Mr Okemo and Mr Gichuru find it inconceivable and incomprehensible that their accusers have told a prosecuting authority that they committed a crime and were not arrested but are allowed to testify in another country on their own complicity,” Mr Ngatia told the court.

He added: “Those people are accomplices who are walking free in the streets of London without a finger being pointed at them.”

The lawyer said six witnesses would be enough to demonstrate that no crime was committed by the two.

The State of Jersey has accused the two of having received Sh900 million in kickbacks to award tenders at KPLC between 1999 and 2002.

They allegedly collaborated to illegally conceal the funds in the Channel Islands.

Hearing resumes on Wednesday.