The running mate of leading Kenyan presidential candidate William Ruto has lost $1.7m (£1.4m) after a court ruled that the money held in four accounts at a local bank came from proceeds of corruption.
Justice Esther Maina ruled that Rigathi Gachagua received the money from government agencies but there was no evidence that he had supplied anything.
In a response on Twitter, Mr Gachagua said the judgement “did not come as a surprise” and was “meant to undermine my candidature in the coming elections”.
“The judge was biased against us from the word go and threw caution to the wind by conducting a sham trial,” he said.
He added:” I have instructed my lawyers to immediately file an appeal… to stay the orders and set aside the judgement.”
The lawsuit was initiated by the Assets Recovery Agency – a state body mandated to confiscate proceeds of crime.
Kenyans will be electing a new president on 9 August.
Deputy President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga are the two leading candidates.
Source: BBC
