DPP appoints Khawar Qureshi to lead graft case against DCJ Mwilu

DPP Noordin Haji has appointed Queen’s Counsel Khawar Qureshi to lead corruption case against Deputy Chief justice Philomena Mwilu.

Speaking to the Star on Tuesday, Haji said he took the decision to hire Qureshi since senior counsels had declined to prosecute the matter.

“I also wanted an independent person to handle the matter because there were allegations of bias and witch hunt  against my office,” he said.

Qureshi has taught commercial law at Cambridge University and public international law at King’s College London.

He was appointed a visiting professor in commercial law at the University of London in 2006 and a deputy High Court judge in 2013.

His appointment comes after unhappy judges, magistrates and court staff plotted a fightback following the arrest of Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu.

Judicial staff said they felt targeted and would ‘fight to defend the independence of the Judiciary’.

More on this: Judiciary plots fight back on Mwilu case

In July, Haji said corrupt judges are hampering the anti-graft drive in Kenya, undermining President Uhuru Kenyatta’s attempt to restore public trust in the government, national security and the economy.

Every year, corruption in East Africa’s biggest economy drains billions of dollars from the state in rackets involving government officials and businesspeople – known as “tenderpreneurs” for their success in winning public contracts.

Uhuru promised to stop the rot when he came to power in 2013 but critics say he has been slow to go after top officials and there have been no high-profile convictions since then.

More on this: Corrupt judges blocking Kenya’s anti-corruption push – DPP Haji

Read: Ojaamong, three Busia ministers freed on Sh1 million cash bail each

Related: EACC boss accuses lawyers, engineers of enabling corruption

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