The Director of Public Prosecution has withdrawn the Kshs19 million graft charges against former Malindi MP and Gender and Public Service CS Nominee Aisha Jumwa.
The case was withdrawn on Wednesday morning under section 87 (a) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).
The prosecution’s lawyer Alex Akula informed Mombasa’s chief magistrate Martha Mutuku that he was instructed to withdraw the case facing Jumwa.Â
“I have instructions to move the court with an application on review of charges and that is specifically on the first accused person the final directive is to have her name removed and the case against eight suspects who had been charged alongside Jumwa to proceed,” Akula said.
Details of who gave the instructions or why they were given remain scanty. The defense team welcomed the move but hoped that the DPP would apologize for accusing Jumwa.
“We welcome the kind gesture from the DPP, we have no objection against the withdrawal however we wish he would offer an apology to our client,” the Defense lead counsel Jared Magolo said.
The rest of the persons charged alongside Jumwa will plead to fresh charges. Â
In the Kshs19 million fraud, Jumwa was accused of conspiring with her co-accused to embezzle the CDF funds for the Malindi constituency. The crimes were committed between May 14 and October 12, 2018
Jumwa however is still facing a murder charge and a separate count of money laundering and acquisition of proceeds of crimes.
The latest development comes just days after another Cabinet Nominee, Mithika Linturi, got off the hook in an attempted rape case.
Linturi was nominated as CS for Agriculture.
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