A district officer (DO) hid a Sh8,000 bribe he had received in his left leg socks, a Nakuru court heard on Tuesday.
An Ethics and Anti-corruption officer, Catherine Wangeci, told the court that former Namanga DO Parnwell Gitonga received the bribe from a businesswoman in 2011 as inducement to release vehicle parts allegedly confiscated.
Gitongah has denied soliciting for a bribe from one Rose Nyambura to release number plates and battery stickers of her vehicle on February 22 2011.
Nyambura’s car had been confiscated by police officers attached to Namanga District Commissioner’s office.
The senior officer from the corruption watchdog told a packed court that she received a tip-off about Gitonga’s demand for a bribe and, accompanied by four other officers, ambushed him in his office minutes after he had received the money.
The court heard that the Sh8,000 treated money was recovered from the administrator’s socks on the left leg as he attempted to hide it upon being confronted by the plain clothes officers. The accused was arrested and escorted to Kajiado police station where he was held for interrogation and had his fingerprints taken for further investigations before being presented in court.
A video clip played in court by the officers from the Integrity Centre headquarters yesterday showed how the officers ambushed the administrator in his office minutes after receiving the treated money.
Part of the clip displayed a besieged Gitonga as he attempted to hide the notes under his office desk.
However, Gitonga’s lawyer claimed that he had not been provided with the audio-visual evidence and dismissed the clip as a mere fabrication to frame his client.
Senior principal magistrate Felix Kombo who was hearing the case, however, allowed the video clips to be played in court.
In the previous hearing, an attempt by the officers to play the video in court as evidence got a shot in the arm after the defence lawyer said he had not been furnished with the evidence before it was presented in court.
The hearing will continue on November 20 when more witnesses will testify.