Kenyan Lawyer Paul Gicheru Allowed to Attend ICC Pre-Trial Conference Virtually

Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru, who is facing charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC), has been allowed to attend the first status conference virtually.

The office of the prosecutor granted the request after his attorneys filed an application seeking to have him appear for the September 17th status conference remotely from Kenya citing the prevailing COVID-19 situation.

Gicheru will be committed to trial for crimes against the administration of justice consisting in corruptly influencing witnesses of the court.

While confirming the charges last month, the Pre-Trial Chamber said there are substantial grounds to believe Gicheru committed, as a co-perpetrator or under alternative modes of liability, offenses against the administration of justice.

He is said to have committed the offenses in Kenya between April 2013 and September 10th, 2015 when the criminal case against Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang was withdrawn.

The Chamber said Gicheru and his accomplices were found to have executed a well-orchestrated plan of interfering with key witnesses in the Ruto and Sang case.

“Specifically, with relation to eight witnesses, Mr. Gicheru and other members of the common plan allegedly identified, located, and contacted the witnesses, offered and/or paid them financial or other benefits, and/or threatened or intimidated them, in order to induce them to withdraw as Prosecution witnesses, refuse to or cease cooperating with the Prosecution and/or the Court, and/or to recant the evidence which they had provided to the Prosecution,” the court said in a statement.

Gicheru surrendered himself to the Dutch authorities on November 2nd, 2020, five years after The Hague-based court issued a warrant of arrest against him and two others.

He was released on a Sh1 million bond in January and allowed to travel to Kenya under strict conditions set by the court.