A Mombasa court on Wednesday deferred a graft plea against Taita Taveta County Assembly Clerk Gadiel Maganga after he informed court that he was unwell.
Maganga made the application before court to defer his plea saying he was unwell to which the court allowed and deferred the plea.
Counsel for EACC and ODPP had opposed the application to defer plea taking on grounds that the accused person was playing hide and seek game with the Commission.
Mombasa Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku ordered that the Clerk takes plea on 8th April 2024.
It also emerged that he has filed two other Applications; one seeking anticipatory bail in the Voi High Court, and another seeking to quash the decision of the ODPP to charge him which the state says is hide and seek.
Maganga is facing among others abuse of office charges relating to fraudulent payments for the Zanzibar bonding trip undertaken by county officials, including 21 MCAs in 2022.
The Clerk faces graft charges alongside Deputy Speaker Anselm Mwadime Chao who has since pleaded not guilty to charges.
The Commission’s investigations established that a total of Sh 17 million was spent on the trip out of which Sh 9 million was directly paid to the organizers for logistics while Sh 8 million was paid as imprest to 30 officials, including 21 MCAs.
It is alleged that the County Assembly used forged documents to account for the fraudulent expenditure. The officials were overpaid while some of those who received allowances did not travel.
