A court has directed the trial of Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi over alleged fake academic certificates to proceed for six days without adjournment.
The Anti-Corruption Court in Nairobi magistrate, Felix Kombo, noted that the case has stalled since 2016 when Sudi was charged with nine counts of forgery.
“The court is under pressure to finalise old cases and we can’t delay the hearing any further. We must cover all the remaining witnesses in six days and the absence of his lawyer will not warrant any further adjournment,” ruled Kombo.
The case was schedule to proceed with the Director of Public Prosecutions presenting two witnesses, but Sudi informed the court that his lawyer Thomas Ruto could not attend the hearing after doctors recommended that he takes a three-day bed rest.
The magistrate ruled that although it would be unfair to proceed without the lawyer, the delay had put the court at a crossroads.
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Sudi was charged in October 2016 with uttering false documents while seeking clearance from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to contest in the 2013 General Election.
The charges allege that the MP forged a diploma certificate in Business Management purporting that it was issued by the Kenya Institute of Management, a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education and a school leaving certificate from Highway High School.
The prosecution has so far presented seven witnesses with the remaining six set to testify next month when the case resumes.
The legislator had attempted to stop his prosecution and filed a suit at the High Court. But Justice Hedwig Ong’udi dismissed the application.
The case resumes on October 26.
