Rarieda Member of Parliament Otiende Amollo has taken issue with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) over mistreatment of graft suspects.
Speaking on NTV’s AM Live show on Tuesday morning, the renowned lawyer faulted the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji for failing to observe the rights of suspects during arrests and detentions.
Citing the most recent cases, including that of Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong’ who was earlier this month arrested and detained for days over allegations of misuse of public office, Amollo called for sobriety in the re-ignited war on graft.
He stressed on the need for the suspects’ arrests to be backed up by sufficient evidence, accusing Haji and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) of presiding over suspect embarrassment.
‘’You need to do thorough investigations and have sufficient evidence to avoid harassing people during arrests and then detaining them for days only for the courts to release them later due to lack of evidence,’’ said the lawmaker.
‘’It should not be about harassing the suspects during arrests and driving them for long distances then making them sit on hard floors,’’ he added.
His remarks were echoed by fellow panelist and former Murang’a Senator Kembi Gitura who called for decent handling of corruption suspects.
‘’Suspects must be accorded dignity and shouldn’t be embarrassed in the process as human dignity is founded in our constitution and must be respected,’’ he noted.