Nairobi, Kenya: A judge has ordered the Interior Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo to personally appear in court on Monday for the hearing of a contempt case against him.
The judge wants the PS to be in court for the hearing of a case on why he should not be punished for disobeying a court order directing him to pay compensation money to a Tanzanian businessman.
High Court Judge George Odunga rejected pleas by a state counsel seeking for more time to settle the matter.
Iringo is wanted in court to explain why his ministry was yet to pay out Sh31.6 million to Tanzanian national James Koroso for wrongful detention and torture.
"The principal Secretary to appear before this court on June 9 for further orders," said Judge Odunga.
The judge issued the orders after the lawyer representing the Tanzanian told the court that he had been unable to reach any agreement with the state counsel.
He said he was ready to proceed with the hearing of the application against the PS.
The state counsel said he was not ready to proceed because the Attorney General's office was still negotiating with Koroso.
He requested the court to let the parties continue with negotiations which would result in a consent to be signed by both sides.
Korosso's lawyer objected to the application prompting the judge to issue orders directing Iringo to appear in court on Monday.
Judge Odunga previously, issued a warrant of arrest against Iringo over the same matter but he lifted the orders after the PS appeared in court and explained why Koroso had not been paid.
The compensation to Koroso has been pending since 2008.
On February 22, 2008 Judge Jackton Ojwang awarded Koroso Sh21 million before an appeal by the Attorney General that led to the increase of the award to Sh31.6 million.
Koroso had filed the civil suit against the Government of Kenya in 1996 for wrongful and malicious prosecution.
He accused the police of charging him with violent robbery in 1993 but was acquitted by the magistrate's court in 1995.
