USAID PAID FOR RUTO ICC FIXERS - LAWYER TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014 - 00:00 -- BY OLIVER MATHENGE AMERICAs ambassador to Kenya and USAID were responsible for fixing Deputy President William Ruto for the 2008 post-election violence, the ICC was told yesterday. Rutos lawyer yesterday said former US ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger used NGOs to collect fabricated evidence aimed at implicating Ruto. While cross-examining the prosecutions ninth witness, Khan alleged that Ranneberger worked with the USAID to fund activists to procure witnesses and evidence on behalf of the prosecution. Are you aware that the USAID was trying to implicate Mr Ruto in the post-election violence? Khan asked. I am not aware, the witness replied. However the witness agreed that he had received $20,000 (Sh1.7 million) over six months from the Office of the Prosecutor for being a witness. Did you receive $3,367 on August 1, 2012 and $3,524 on August 2? And this means you got almost Sh600,000 in two days and your annual income was Sh100,000?. This is what motivated you to be a witness, Khan asked the witness. Yes, I did but I did not know I would moving from one place to another, the witness replied. After he hesitated, presiding judge Chile Eboe-Osuji took the proceedings into private. When the proceedings became public again, Khan asked the witness once again to confirm that he received $20,000 for six months as indicated in documents before the court. The witness confirmed receiving the money but prosecution lawyer Lucio Garcia protested over Khans line of questioning saying that it was not relevant to the case. Khan retorted, The witness was part of a scam and he is aware that others like him were involved in giving false evidence. The prosecution should not object to evidence simply because it is making them uncomfortable, Khan told the court. Khan named various NGOs and activists funded by the USAID including activists Ken Wafula, Abubakar Juma, Jonah Ruto, George Bett and Thomas Ngetich. He said they were used to procure witnesses for the prosecution. Khan also named three other individuals coded as Number 12, Number 13 and Number 15 as among those who worked to fix the Deputy President. Are you aware that these individuals, and include yourself in that list, were responsible for putting together lies aimed at linking Mr Ruto to the post-election violence? Khan asked the witness. I am not aware, the witness said. The witness also said that he was not familiar with the organisations named by Khan other than the Kalenjin Youth Alliance and Good Samaritans International. Khan also referred to Anti-Torture Campaign Network, Centre Against Torture and Chemonics International but the witness said he did not know them.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 09:58:36 +0000
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