Former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko has been acquitted of money laundering charges after a Nairobi court ruled that prosecutors failed to provide enough evidence to link him to the offence.
In a ruling delivered by the court, the former Nairobi governor was cleared of the money laundering count, bringing partial relief in a case that has lasted several years.
“I have considered the submissions that were filed for the prosecution and for the accused persons. Having reviewed that evidence, I am acquitting on count three, counting three related to money laundering,” the court ruled.
However, Sonko was not fully cleared of all accusations. The court found that he still has a case to answer over claims of irregular tender issuance during his time at City Hall.
According to the court, evidence presented by the prosecution suggested that the tendering process may have been manipulated, resulting in the loss of public funds.
The case revolves around the hiring of heavy equipment worth Ksh14 million in 2018 when Sonko was serving as Nairobi governor.
Following the ruling, the case will now proceed to the defence stage, where Sonko will be required to respond to the remaining charge.
The former governor has repeatedly argued that the cases against him are politically motivated. In recent months, he has claimed that the prosecutions were aimed at silencing him because of his stand against corruption.
While appearing before Magistrate Charles Ondieki in February this year in a separate Ksh20 million graft case, Sonko alleged that senior officials conspired against him during his tenure at City Hall.
“Powerful individuals who were against my policies to develop Nairobi County, build new markets, improve infrastructure and alleviate the social well-being of Nairobian’s, ganged up to bring me down,” he told the court.
Sonko also claimed that some of the individuals linked to the case held meetings at State House with senior county officials to plan his removal from office.
During the proceedings, he told the court that he had terminated contracts in the county revenue department and dismissed cashiers allegedly involved in the Ksh20 million graft scandal.
