Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu has been arrested over corruption allegations. Justice Mwilu was picked up at the Supreme Court by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations over alleged transactions involving the collapsed Imperial Bank.
Justice Mwilu now faces charges of abuse of office, stealing and failure to pay tax as required by the law.
According to Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji, the decision to arrest the DCJ was based on the law and called on public servants to execute their mandate with dignity and decorum and not to bring public offices into disrepute by violating the law.
“This decision has not been taken lightly, but it is the right decision under the law. Most of us in the office of the Public Prosecutor are indeed officers of the court and the dignity and independence of the Judiciary is dear to us” Haji said.
The DPP also noted that the judge had acted in contravention of the Leadership and Integrity Act by accepting gifts and a personal loan of Sh12 million from Imperial Bank.
“I believe that judges in a democracy such as ours must be totally free to exercise their judgment in a societal environment that supports and protects them but the justice system only works if lawyers, prosecutors, magistrates and judges are fair and just. There can be no justice if lawyers, prosecutors, magistrates, judges and investigators (who are court officials) use their position to enrich themselves at the expense of the Kenyan people” he added.
The arrest of the Deputy Chief Justice is a culmination of a series of investigations in the third arm of government, which has been linked with graft over years.
