NAIROBI
A
Kenyan ex-journalist accused of witness intimidation by the
International Criminal Court (ICC) has lost his bid to defy an arrest
warrant issued for him, a judge ruled Friday
.
.
The
Hague-based ICC last year issued a warrant for the arrest of Walter
Barasa for allegedly trying to bribe witnesses to drop their testimony
in the crimes against humanity trial of Deputy President William Ruto.
But Barasa, who denies all allegations, challenged the issuing of the warrant in a Kenyan court.
The ICC warrant must first pass before a Kenyan judge before it is acted upon.
"The
applicant has not demonstrated that the extradition proceedings by the
Cabinet Secretary are invalid," Kenyan High Court Judge Richard Mwongo
said. (READ: Extradition illegal, Barasa tells court)
"This court finds that the Cabinet Secretary's decision to seek a warrant of arrest was within the law."
Barasa has 14 days to appeal. (READ: ICC claims the first right to try Barasa)
Ruto's
trial began in September, the highest-ranking official to do so, on
charges of masterminding some of the 2007-08 post-election violence in
Kenya that left over 1,000 people dead and several hundred thousand
displaced.
Ruto, 46, and Kenyan radio boss Joshua arap
Sang, 38, are accused of stoking the worst violence in the east African
country since independence in 1963.
President Uhuru
Kenyatta also faces trial for crimes against humanity. Earlier this
month ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda asked for a three-month
postponement to the trial, which had been scheduled to start on February
5.
All deny the accusations.
While
Kenyan lawmakers have voted to leave the court's founding Rome Statute,
it remains a member and is bound to honour the ICC's demands.
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