NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 26- Mathira Member of Parliament Rigathi Gachagua spent the weekend in police cells ahead of his arraignment on Monday in Nairobi.
Gachagua was arrested from his Nyeri home on Friday last week and driven to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters where he was grilled for hours before being locked up at the Gigiri police cells.
The vocal legislator and a close ally of Deputy President William Ruto, was denied bond and locked up after spending close to six hours at the DCI.
The officers there read to him five counts they plan to charge him with today.
His lawyer Wahome Gikonyo, said Gachagua is being accused of attempting to defraud the Nyeri County Government of Sh27 million as well as conspiring to defraud the county of Sh6 million.
The third count is money laundering. He is alleged to have laundered Sh112 million from the Bungoma County Government.
The fourth charge is laundering Sh7 billion deposited in his fixed account.
He is also accused of conflict of interest involving Sh800 million from Mathira NG-CDF.
The MP has since denied any wrongdoing and accused police of being used by the government to persecute him for his strong political opinions and support for DP Ruto.
“I am happy it is finally over. It has been two years of hell; being arrested and released, writing countless statements, being prosecuted in the media, intimidation and harassment to me and family. I am happy I now have a chance to be vindicated in a court of law as our courts are independent,” the MP said shortly after he was arrested over the weekend.
“To our tormentors and persecutors you only have one year remaining. We shall have a new democratic Government that does not use the criminal justice system to manage politics. I appreciate, it is their bitterness with the loss of the Kiambaa by-election.”
Police at Gigiri limited the number of those visiting the MP even as some of his colleagues protested the move.
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