Sonko to appear in court for fresh trial in Sh20m graft case

Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko. [File, Standard]

Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has been ordered to appear in court on Friday for further directions on how his Sh20 million graft case will proceed, following a retrial order issued last week.

Sonko, with his co-accused Antony Ombok Jamal, appeared before the Anti-Corruption Court on Monday.

The new trial magistrate Isabella Barasa, however, informed the parties that the original file for the case is yet to be received from the High Court, causing delays in the proceedings.

The court also declined to grant Sonko’s oral application to have his passport released for a business trip to Tanzania, directing his lawyers to file a formal application.

Sonko and Jamal’s retrial follows the High Court’s decision last week to overturn their earlier acquittal in the multi-million-shilling corruption case involving a revenue tender at City Hall. 

The two are awaiting a decision on whether they will be placed on their defense by Magistrate Barasa after evaluating the evidence adduced by prosecution witnesses and the amended charge sheet involving 13 graft-related charges.

This is after High Court Judge Nixon Sifuna ordered the retrial, stating that trial magistrate Douglas Ogoti made a serious error by relying on an outdated charge sheet when dismissing the case.

The case dates back to December 2022, when Ogoti acquitted Sonko citing defects in the charge sheet. Sonko faced charges of embezzling funds through dubious contracts, allegedly extorting Sh20 million from Web Tribe Limited, a firm involved in the Nairobi County revenue collection tender.