Former Laikipia North MP Mathew Lempurkel who was jailed for a year over an assault case has petitioned the Chief Justice Martha Koome over the manner in which the case was handled.
Lempurkel through lawyer Saitabo Kanchory claims that the trial magistrate Senior Principal Magistrate Hellen Onkwani was compromised to fix the former MP and have him jailed without an option of a fine.
According to the letter to the CJ, the lawyer who is preparing an appeal has blamed an unnamed former Solicitor General for approaching the trial magistrate Okwani with an imprest to impose a string custodial sentence against the former MP.
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He alleges that SG told the magistrate the government wanted the former MP behind bars . They claims that SG met the Magistrate in a place in Kilimani in order to influence the court verdict.
Lempurkel was jailed for 12 months for assault after he slapped the current Laikipia North MP Sarah Korere, on November 21, 2016, at Harambee House in Nairobi.
The lawyer says that they will be presenting to CJ Koome CCTV footage to proof over the alleged meeting between the former SG and the magistrate.
At the same time Lempurkel further claims that two other men representing a Foreign Mission and some Ranchers in Laikipia County met at a popular restaurant on Lenana Road, Kilimani, Nairobi and at KIVI Apartments where details of the case were discussed and the outcome desired by the said interested persons agreed upon.
According to the letter, the former MP claims that Onkwani had earlier solicited a bribe of Ksh1 million from him but he was unable to raise the same before being approached by the former SG.
"We cannot rule out the fact that money changed hands between the above mentioned judicial officer and the said operatives as we are aware that in or around August 2021 the said Hon. Onkwam, solicited a bribe of Kenya Shillings One Million (Ksh 1,000,000) from our client, Lempurkel, which bribe our client was unable and unwilling to give", reads the letter to the Chief Justice in part.
He claims that the Magistrate who has been on transfer from July,2021 insisted on holding onto the case file of his assault case and insisted on concluding the case.
"The learned trial magistrate Onkwani, who was on transfer from July 2021 even before the close of the Defence Case but still held on to the file and insisted on concluding the same for reasons that have now become clear,"the letter reads.
Lempurkel says he intends to petition the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) over the conduct of the Magistrate.
"We shall at the appropriate time Petition the Judicial Service Commission concerning the conduct of the aforesaid Hon. Onkwani including her inappropriateness to serve as a judicial officer on account of her very strong and deep feminist/sexist views and apparent hostility towards men which renders her incapable of fairly and impartially adjudicating over disputes between all sections of society," says Lempurkel.
However, the former MP has also implicated a High court judge of being also being influenced by also the former Solicitor General not to grant him bail pending appeal.
The lawyer adds that ;" We have since established that despite claiming to represent the State or Executive, the said former Solicitor General was essentially an impostor acting at the behest of the self-same interests and operatives associated with a Foreign Mission and large land owners in Laikipia County."
