DPP's bid to remove magistrate in Governor Bii's Finland Scholarship case rejected
From right: Meshack Rono, Joshua Lelei and Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago who are battling charges relating to the alleged misappropriation of Sh 1 billion county overseas education scholarship program when they appeared before the trial court in Nakuru.
The Director of Public Prosecution is seeking to have the magistrate who issued warrants of arrest against Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim and his former Deputy John Barorot to recuse himself from the matter.
The DPP in their application before the court claimed Senior Principal Magistrate Alloys Ndege exhibited bias when he issued the arrest warrant against the five prosecution witnesses without issuing summons.
Prosecution counsel Okachi told the court that the arrest orders were meant to intimidate and cause fear and anxiety to the prosecution witnesses.
Governor Bii, Eng Barorot, outgoing county attorney Stephen Lel, and county Secretary Edwin Bet were present on Wednesday, September 11, during the hearing of the case in.
DPP lost their bid to have the trial magistrate in the Finland Education Scholarship case recuse himself from the matter.
Senior Principal Magistrate Alloys Peter Ndege in his ruling said there the DPP had not given enough reasons for the presiding magistrate to withdraw from the case.
"The court has duty to safeguard the rights of the accused persons who have been incurring costs to attend court hearings only for the hearings to be adjourned after the witnesses failed to appear.
He dismissed the application and allowed the trial to proceed.
More follows.
