High Court denies former CS Ukur Yatani anticipatory bail plea
The High Court has denied former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani’s plea for anticipatory bail amidst Ksh 1.2 billion corruption allegations.
Justice Chacha Mwita, on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, rejected Yatani’s application for anticipatory bail, stating the need to hear from other involved parties, including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Attorney General Justice Muturi, and Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome.
Despite Yatani’s application, the judge ordered him, along with the EACC, AG, and IG, to appear before him on June 14, 2024, for a hearing regarding his attempt to prevent his potential arrest and prosecution over connections to the Marsabit Multi-billion scandal.
These court directions followed Yatani’s petition, represented by Advocate Jackson Awele, seeking anticipatory bail pending investigations and the hearing of his case contesting the search warrants and his recent arrest.
Simultaneously, EACC refuted allegations of fabricating evidence against Yatani, stating that such claims lacked substantiation. In response to the former CS’s lawsuit, the commission clarified that the search warrants, issued on April 22, 2024, by a Milimani Magistrates Court, authorized EACC detectives to search Yatani’s premises for various documents and items related to the ongoing probe.
Yatani, in his application, criticized the search warrants, alleging that they were issued to facilitate a “fishing expedition” by EACC and the inspector general of police.
Moreover, Yatani raised concerns about his arrest without prior notice and his subsequent detention at EACC, where he claimed to have been held incommunicado for over five hours without legal counsel, a violation of his rights.
EACC disclosed that Yatani, along with Marsabit Governor Ali Mohamed Mohammud, other county officials, and close family members, is under investigation for various offenses, including theft of public funds, abuse of office, procurement irregularities, conflict of interest, and unexplained wealth, amounting to Ksh 8.2 billion in total.
