Muchemi Wachira And David Mugonyi
7 October 2008
Nairobi — Lawyers appearing for various parties at the Cockar Commission will file their written submissions on Thursday.
After filing written submissions, the lawyers will then make oral submissions of 30 minutes each on Monday.
The inquiry will start winding up without evidence from some key witnesses who include Treasury PS Joseph Kinyua. He could not be summoned due to time limit.
Hearing of evidence from witnesses was closed on Friday to enable the commission prepare its report, which has to be ready by October 30, when its mandate ends.
An application to summon Mr Kinyua had been made but was later withdrawn because he was out of the country.
But the PS, who is attending a Finance ministers' meeting in the Caribbean island of St Lucia, said he had nothing to hide over the sale of the hotel.
He said he would testify before the inquiry when he gets back to the country, if it was still required."I know nothing about the sale of Grand Regency other than the brief we got from the minister."
The PS was to shed light on sale of the Grand Regency Hotel (now renamed Laico Regency, Nairobi) on behalf of Treasury after former Finance minister Amos Kimunya decided not to testify.
Earlier, an application had been made to have Ikolomani MP Bonny Khalwale and his Budalang'i counterpart, Ababu Namwamba to testify before the commission. It was made by Mr Kimunya's lawyer, Prof Githu Muigai.
Dr Khalwale is the one who moved a motion in Parliament to censure Mr Kimunya over the sale of the hotel, seconded by Mr Namwamba.
Prof Muigai had told commission chairman Justice (Rtd) Abdul Majid Cockar that since no one had adversely mentioned the former minister as having been involved in the controversial sale, it would be important for Dr Khalwale and Mr Namwamba to appear before him and say why they had implicated his client.
But, the commission, which was appointed in July 10 did not have time to summon all the witnesses despite having its mandate extended three times by President Kibaki.
However 21 witnesses gave evidence. They included CBK Governor Prof Njuguna Ndung'u and the bank's legal director Mr Kennedy Abuga.
The two were among the three people the commission was to investigate.
Mr Kimunya was the third person.
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