DPP Noordin Haji addresses arrest o f Justices Juma Said Chitembwe and Aggrey Muchelule by DCI Officers

DPP Haji addresses arrest of Judges by DCI Officers

Mwangi Gathanwa

July 23, 2021 11:13 AM

The controversial arrest of the High Court Judges has triggered reactions from the legal profession.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji

Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji has distanced himself from the arrest of High Court judges Juma Said Chitembwe and Aggrey Muchelule by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

In a statement on the official ODPP Twitter handle, Haji said that the controversial arrest did not have his blessings.

“Contrary to reports by one Eric Theuri, purportedly speaking for Law Society of Kenya blaming the DPP for the arrest, the DPP is not aware of circumstances which led to arrest or questioning of 2 Judges neither has his office received any investigation files concerning them,” the statement read.

Justices Said Chitembwe and Aggrey Muchelule Pulse Live Kenya

He added that in the event the files are presented to the ODPP for advice the DPP will direct as appropriate.

The two judges were on Thursday evening arrested and their chambers were searched by law enforcement officers.

Initial reports indicate that the two were arrested in connection to an ongoing investigation into a scandal at the Judiciary.

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has also released a statement condemning the arrest and accusing the Executive of intimidation tactics.

"The never-ending assault by the Executive aimed at clawing back on gains made on the independence of the Judiciary has manifested itself again in an ugly way, today. It has been confirmed by the LSK that a raid by officers of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) was conducted at the Chambers of the two judges. They were accosted and seized.

"The Judges' Chambers and their persons were searched. The search was claimed to bee in pursuit of a bribe in respect to a matter handled by one of the Judges. No evidence of the claimed bribe was found," the LSK statement read in part.

Mwangi Gathanwa