EACC accuses official of playing hide and seek to delay graft case
By Joel Sang, March 13, 2024
There was a drama at the Anti-Corruption Court in Mombasa yesterday after Taita Taveta County Assembly Clerk Gadiel Maganga successfully obtained a deferral of his plea taking, citing illness.
Lawyers for the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) opposed Maganga’s application to defer plea taking, accusing him of playing a “hide and seek game” with the commission.
However, Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku granted the application and ordered the clerk to take his plea on April 8.
Maganga is facing charges of abuse of office related to payments made for a bonding trip to Zanzibar in 2022 by county officials, including 21 MCAs. This development comes amid two other applications filed by Maganga, one seeking anticipatory bail in the Voi High Court, and another seeking to quash ODPP’s decision to charge him.
A total of 40 witnesses are lined up to testify against the Clerk and his co-accused.
Deputy Speaker Anselm Mwadime Chao, who is also implicated in the graft charges, has already pleaded not guilty.
EACC investigations revealed that Sh17 million was spent on the trip, with Sh9 million paid directly to organisers for logistics and Sh8 million disbursed as imprest to 30 officials, including the 21 MCAs.
The Assembly is alleged to have used forged documents to justify the expenditure, with some officials being overpaid and others receiving allowances without actually travelling.