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Mathira Member of Parliament Rigathi Gachagua has been released on Ksh12 cash bail or Ksh 25 bond in Ksh 7.4billion graft case.

The court has also ordered him to deposit his passport with the court and not interfere with any witnesses.

Appearing before Milimani Chief Magistrate Lawrence Mugambi, Gachagua denied charges of fraudulent acquisition of public property, money laundering, conflict of interest and conspiracy to defraud Nyeri County government Sh27 million.

The offences are alleged to have been committed 2013 and 2020.

In the case, Gachagua was charged alongside nine others who are not in court.

The MP has since denied the state allegations and termed his prosecution as politically instigated.

Gachagua’s bank accounts have since been frozen by the High Anti-Corruption court in October last year allowing the government to investigate the source of the Ksh12.5 billion that flowed through the accounts.

This is after Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) informed the High Court the lawmaker received more than Ksh12.5 billion through three accounts in Rafiki Micro Finance Bank, in seven years, payments that have been labelled suspicious.

The three accounts have over Ksh 200,773,000 held at Rafiki Microfinance. According to the court order, Kshs. 165,000,000 million, Kshs. 35,000,000 and Ksh. 773,228.33 are held in the bank accounts held in name of Gachagua at Rafiki Microfinance.

The agency told the court that it traced Ksh 7.3 billion withdrawals through bank statements in accounts that were left with a balance of Sh200 million.