Editor's Review

  • Kenyan lawyer surrenders to ICC
  • Wanted over allegations of influencing witnesses

A Kenyan lawyer on Monday surrendered himself to the International Criminal Court, at The Hague. 

Paul Gicheru surrendered following a warrant of arrest issued against him in 2015

He is accused of corruptly influencing ICC witnesses in the collapsed 2007-2008 post-election violence that left thousands dead and more than 600,000 others internally displaced.

"On 2 November 2020, Paul Gicheru surrendered to the authorities of The Netherlands pursuant to this arrest warrant for offences against the administration of justice consisting in corruptly influencing witnesses of the Court," a statement from the ICC read.

ICC Statement

"The Court submitted a cooperation request to the Dutch authorities for the arrest and surrender of Paul Gicheru to the Court upon completion of the necessary national arrest proceedings," it added.

The ICC had accused lawyer Gicheru and colleague Philip Kipkoech Bett of witness interference and bribery among other claims of impropriety, which allegedly led to suspects recanting evidence and becoming hostile.

But in 2017, High Court Judge Luke Kimaru, dismissed a government application seeking to extradite Gicheru and Bett to The Hague.