By RFIPalled on 29-08-2018Modified on 29-08-2018 at 14:37

In Kenya, the Vice-President of the Supreme Court appeared before the judges on the morning of 29 August. Philomena Mwilu is the highest official to be brought to justice since the wave of proceedings launched in the country in recent months for embezzlement. The magistrate is accused inter alia of forgery, abuse of power, or non-payment of taxes. This morning's hearing in the Nairobi Anti-Corruption Court has seen a lot of twists and turns.

Vice President of the Kenyan Supreme Court Philomena Mwilu was heading for a small judicial victory on the morning of August 29, but an error in the figure on a document revived the suspense.

Accused notably of false, abuse of power or non-payment of taxes, the magistrate is defended by an armada of 32 lawyers who questioned the methods of the prosecutor for several hours.

Their leader, Opposition Senator James Orengo, denounced an abusive procedure that criminalized " a purely commercial transaction ". Philomena Mwilu is notably implicated for loans granted by Imperial Bank, an institution that has since gone out of business.

Methods of " cowboy "

The lawyer found that no fact supported the accusations, that his client's rights were violated by cowboy methods and that the judge was sought out for political reasons.

A rebound then occurred. An order of the High Court was presented by which a magistrate ordered the arrest of the criminal proceedings to determine whether the case is in conformity with the Constitution, and an adjournment until 9 October.

As Philomena Mwilu's camp began to congratulate itself, the situation changed again: the judge of the anti-corruption court noticed that the file number did not match. After discussion, he finally gives everyone an appointment on August 31 to clarify things.

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