Judge Chitembwe says USD 7,000 found in his office during raid was son’s school fees

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Judge Said Juma Chitembwe

Embattled High Court Judge Juma Chitembwe has admitted that he had USD 7,000 (approximately Sh 768,0000) in his office when he was raided by DCI officers at his Chambers.

The judge also told the court that he personally gave the money to the police himself refuting claims that the officers recovered the money during the search.

According to Justice Chitembwe, the said money was his son’s school fees at Edith Cowan University Perth I in Australia which he intended to send directly to the school but had difficulties at the bank.

In his replying affidavit, the Judge says he handed the money to the detectives himself after he saw a body search being done contrary to Inspector Karisa’s claims that he recovered the money from him.

“After the search, I removed from my pockets USD 7,000 that I had been having with me for the purpose of paying my son’s fee at Edith Cowan University Perth I in Australia and handed over the same to the officers,”  swears the judge.

The judge adds that as a family, they have kept the dollar account for the last three years under his wife’s name and as such it is not unusual or suspect for him to have US dollars in his possession as is proposed by Inspector Karisa.

He further states that he had the said money since 20th July after he was unable to transfer it directly to his son’s university tuition account as he had asked him.

“I was waiting to find time and go to the bank for help and advise on how to transfer the money directly to the university as requested by my son when I was unceremoniously and embarrassingly roughed up and arrested within the court precincts for no crime at all,” says the judge.

He also insists he was arrested by DCI officers in his chamber, refuting the claim by the DCI that he was not arrested.

“I must state all this time I felt and clearly considered myself under arrest until my release after recording of the day’s events in the form of a statement”, he noted.

He adds that he was ordered in an unruly and undignified manner frog marched by DCI’s officers from the precincts of the high court premises at Nairobi to the DCI headquarters where without notice whatsoever to the nature of the inquiry being conducted against him by the DCI.

According to the judge, he was also ordered to write a statement on the occurrence of that day from the time that the officers confronted him outside Justice Aggrey Muchelule’s chamber until he arrived at the DCI’S offices.