ICC Prosecutor Lines Up 13 Witnesses to Testify Against Kenyan Lawyer Paul Gicheru

At least 13 witnesses are lined up to testify against Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru, who is facing witness tampering charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

ICC Prosecutor announced he will present six Kenyans to testify how they were corruptly influenced by Gicheru to recant their evidence against Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang. The witnesses include P-0800, P-0536, P-0613, P-0341, P-0274, and P-0516.

The court will also hear testimonies from three investigators, who will testify how they investigated the case while an analyst will be presented to give context to the court. The last batch will comprise two to three expert witnesses.

“At present, the prosecution plans to call approximately 12 to 13 witnesses to give

oral testimony at trial. Apart from the three expert witnesses mentioned above, the prosecution does not foresee the need to call further expert evidence, nor to jointly brief experts with the defense,” deputy prosecutor James Stewart said in court papers.

Stewart further said there is a possibility of bringing three more witnesses who are believed to have been among those who were influenced to renounce their evidence. 

The prosecution will rely on records of investigators communicating with witnesses, audio and transcripts of people involved in the network to influence witnesses, phone text messages and contacts, and bank records of witness P-0397.

The case will be heard before Judge Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Pre-Trial Chamber A.

In July, The Hague-based court confirmed charges against Gicheru, who surrendered to the ICC in November 2020. Judge Alapini-Gansou made the decision based on the evidence and submissions presented by the prosecutor and the defense.