They Want My Sh200 Million Because I Performed Well in Debate – Rigathi Gachagua

UDA deputy presidential candidate Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that his stellar performance in the deputy presidential debate prompted the court order to surrender Sh200 million.

In a series of tweets on Thursday, the Mathira MP claimed that the ruling by the High Court was rushed to undermine his candidature in the upcoming polls.

“The judgement was hastily rushed ten days before the elections in a futile attempt to undermine my candidature in the coming elections and dent my sterling performance in the running mates debate last week,” Gachagua stated.

The lawmaker was ordered to surrender the money to the government as it was suspected to be proceeds of crime to the State.

In the court ruling on Thursday, Justice Esther Maina said that the MP admitted that he received the funds from government agencies but there was no evidence that he supplied any services or goods.

However, Gachagua claimed that the ruling did not come as a surprise to him and his lawyers alleging that the judge had been biased all along.

“The judgement today by Justice Esther Maina, in my case against the Asset Recovery Agency, did not come as a surprise to me and my lawyers. The Judge was biased against us from the word go and threw caution to the wind by conducting a sham trial,” Gachagua said.

The MP alleged that Justice Esther Maina refused his request to call witnesses to testify how he got the money and that she refused the MP’s application to cross-examine the investigator.

“I have instructed my Lawyers to immediately file an appeal in the Court of Appeal to stay the orders and set aside the judgement,” Gachagua said.