Billionaire businessman Humphrey Kariuki, who is facing a Sh41 billion tax evasion case, has complained that he has not been supplied with all the evidence in the case.
“Seven months after taking plea and one year after investigations began, the Director of Public prosecutions (DPP) has not supplied us with all the witness statements and exhibits,” lawyers Kioko Kilukumi and Cecil Miller told Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi at the Milimani Law Courts on Wednesday.
Mr Kilukumi said he sought the evidence from DPP Noordin Haji in a letter in January, in order to prepare for the pretrial, but that he was yet to receive it.
He further said there was a lot of fanfare when Mr Kariuki and his co-accused were charged yet the DPP failed to present the evidence as required.
BUSINESS IMPACT
The lawyers also told the court that they were called to the offices of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) two days ago and given the statements of 29 out of 37 witnesses.
Mr Kilukumi noted that the inventory shows unnamed bank officials are among the witnesses.
He wondered how the defence team will prepare sufficiently for the case without all the statements.
“Kariuki is an international businessman. Any delay in disposing the case means his businesses are being destroyed,” the lawyer added, noting the case could have been concluded in the seven months.
Mr Kilukumi asked for more time to obtain the witness statements, which a state prosecutor said had already been supplied.