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ICC seeks Walter Barasa arrest for Kenya 'witness tampering' | |
(35 minutes later) | |
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for a Kenyan journalist suspected of offering bribes to prosecution witnesses in the trial of Deputy President William Ruto. | |
There were reasonable grounds to believe that Walter Osapiri Barasa was "corruptly influencing" or trying to influence witnesses, a judge ruled. | There were reasonable grounds to believe that Walter Osapiri Barasa was "corruptly influencing" or trying to influence witnesses, a judge ruled. |
This is the first time the ICC has issued such an arrest warrant. | This is the first time the ICC has issued such an arrest warrant. |
Mr Barasa told the BBC he was ready to prove his innocence. | |
Mr Ruto is on trial for alleged crimes of humanity and his case resumed at The Hague on Wednesday morning. | |
He denies the charges, which stem from allegations that he orchestrated violence after disputed elections in 2007. | |
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta is due to stand trial on similar charges in November. He, too, denies the charges. | |
Mr Barasa was allegedly "acting in furtherance of a criminal scheme devised by a circle of officials within the Kenyan administration", the ICC said in a statement. | |
The Kenyan government have not yet commented on the allegation. | |
ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda called on Kenya to immediately arrest and transfer Mr Barasa to The Hague. | |
There was "compelling evidence" that he tried to bribe someone he thought was a witness in Mr Ruto's trial, she said. | |
Mr Barasa was part of a network trying to "sabotage" the case, Ms Bensouda alleged. |