UDA presidential candidate William Ruto’s 2022 running mate Rigathi Gachagua has lost KSh 200 million unexplained cash he received from government agencies.
The High Court ruled that the money held in four accounts at Rafiki Microfinance is proceeds of corruption.
Justice Esther Maina ruled that Gachagua admitted to receiving the money from government agencies despite having not supplied any services to the same government.
“I have carefully considered the evidence on record including affidavits, annexures, and submissions by all parties and I am satisfied that the funds are liable for forfeiture to the government,” the judge said.
According to preliminary investigations by the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA), the funds emanated from the Ministery of Landa, Mathira Constituency Development Fund, Nyeri County government, and the National Irrigation Board.
The funds, at Rafiki Microfinance Bank, are held in three accounts with one holding KSh 165 million; a second account holding KSh 35 million, and the other holding KSh 773,228.
All three are registered in the MP’s names. A fourth account, holding KSh1,138,142, is registered in the name of Jenne Enterprises.
The fiery first-time MP has since, through a social media statement, termed the judgment hasty and borne out of the Jusdge’s bias aimed at injuring his political journey.
ARA told the court that there were massive suspicious cash withdrawals, transfers, inter and intra-bank transfers from other accounts to the accounts under investigations and other bank accounts owned by Ruto’s 2022 presidential election presidential running mate Rigathi Gachagua.
“There are reasonable grounds to believe that the suspect’s bank accounts were used as a conduit for money laundering in efforts to conceal, disguise the nature, source, disposition and movement of illicit funds and should be preserved,” the agency submitted to the court.
In 2020, the High Court froze KSh 200 million belonging to Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua pending a petition by a State agency for the money to be forfeited to the government.
