Kenya To Surrender Journalist Walter Baraza To The I.C.C!

I recently came across an article that iifigured I should syndicate seeing as it pertains to a media personality who is being sought after by the I.C.C for witness tampering.

Journalists from standard Digital recently had a sit down with experts in international law who have asserted that Kenya has no choice but to surrender the journalist wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

On October 2, an ICC judge issued an arrest warrant against Mr Walter Barasa, who is accused of bribing and attempting to corruptly influence witnesses in the case against Deputy President William Ruto.

Following repeated allegations by ICC prosecutors that the Government is not co-operating with its investigations in the country, the Office of the Prosecutor called on the Government to immediately arrest Barasa and hand him over.

“Sending this warrant to Kenya now is an opportunity for the Kenyan government to demonstrate the co-operation that they say they have been giving to the ICC,” the Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said on Wednesday. “This is an opportune moment to arrest Barasa and surrender him to the court.”

Mr Ruto, who is charged together with former journalist, Mr Joshua arap Sang, is currently on trial at the ICC for orchestrating attacks in the Rift Valley in the aftermath of the disputed 2007 presidential election polls

The arrest warrant against Barasa was issued confidentially on August 2. Prior to making the warrant public, the ICC tried unsuccessfully to have Barasa arrested in an unspecified third country thought to be Uganda.

Shortly after being informed of the ICC warrant on October 2, Attorney General Githu Muigai issued a statement that the Kenyan Judiciary would rule on whether Barasa should be arrested.

“These procedures require the minister in charge of the Interior, upon receipt of the formal warrant of arrest, to present the said warrant to the Judiciary for enforcement,” Prof Muigai said in a statement.

Right to be heard

“During the judicial consideration of the legality of the warrant, the subject is entitled to make representations to the court. The final determination on the enforceability of the warrant is therefore a judicial one.”

Legal experts responded by pointing out that the Kenya is legally obliged to arrest Barasa and hand him over to the ICC.