EACC boss speaks after 'he was busted with Sh300 million bribe'
He has spoken for the first time.
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He dismissed claims associating him with the National Youth Service (NYS) scandal which saw billions lost in the first scam.
Speaking when he appeared before parliament, Mr Waqo denied ever being bribed by anyone and assured that he will prove his innocence in court.
The CEO said he has his name to protect and has never considered receiving bribes in his line of duty.
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ALSO READ: EACC boss busted in Sh300 million bribe
Although he did not delve into to NYS scam details on the matter, saying that the case is pending in court, Halakhe said he has never taken a bribe or protected anyone in the five-and-a-half years he has been at EACC.
“I have never been bribed by anybody and cannot talk much about the matter because it is in court but I will prove my innocence. I want to assure all that I have been in that office for the last five-and-a-half years I have never taken bribe from anyone and will not, even when I leave in the next few months,” Waqo said.
Damaging affidavit
Earlier, an explosive affidavit sworn by EACC staffer Mr Adan Guracha had claimed that the CEO received over Sh300 million to conceal evidence in the scam.
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The affidavit had put the EACC and its team on the spot over its effectiveness to fight corruption. Accusations were rife that some of EACC’s senior officials have been interfering in cases with a view to protecting senior government officials.
Details contained in the documents submitted in court had indicated that Mr Waqo pocketed Sh300 million proceeds of NYS.
The payment, a local daily had reported, was partly to conceal evidence about the masterminds of the heist, who were subsequently acquitted.
Bungling investigations
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Adan Guracha, the officer in Department of Intelligence and Operations at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) swore the affidavit in what highlights the depth of morass in the criminal justice system.
As the lead detective in the scam, Mr Guracha revealed he stumbled on sensitive information linking Mr Waqo to the NYS scandal in 2015/16 in which he accuses him of bungling investigations.
Details of Mr Waqo’s alleged hand in the scam surfaced during an internal lifestyle audit in which he invested proceeds of NYS in a six-storey building in Isiolo Town.
Subsequently, the EACC CEO is said to have directed Guracha not to continue investigating the NYS scandal with dire consequences if he chose otherwise.
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