Ex-Governor Wa Iria Walks Free from Remand
Mwangi wa Iria, the former governor of Murang’a, was released from Industrial Area Prison on Friday evening after meeting the bond conditions set by the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court.
He had been in remand since Wednesday evening due to his inability to secure bail in a corruption case amounting to Sh351 million involving him and two others.
Chief Magistrate Thomas Nzioki had offered wa Iria a bond of Sh20 million or an alternative cash bail of Sh10 million.
His co-accused, David Njeri and Solomon Kimani, were granted bonds of Sh5 million and Sh7 million, respectively. Alternatively, they could pay Sh1 million and Sh4 million in cash bail.
The release of wa Iria was confirmed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission spokesperson, Eric Ngumbi, who indicated that the former governor had met the bond terms.
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Wa Iria is charged with abuse of office, conflict of interest, unlawful acquisition of public property, and money laundering.
These charges pertain to tenders related to media and publicity during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 financial years.
The tenders were allegedly awarded irregularly to a company with ties to wa Iria, where the directors were close associates of the former governor.
Wa Iria has denied any wrongdoing, specifically contesting the accusation that he awarded contracts to Top Image Media Consultants Limited worth Sh351 million in an irregular manner.
In response to the case, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has filed a civil lawsuit in the High Court of Nairobi to recover the public funds that were reportedly misappropriated.
Ex-Governor Wa Iria Walks Free from Remand