From: MOSES OPADO

Mars Group Kenya Update: George Saitoti sits pretty in Cabinet although he has yet to answer for the Khs 158 Billion Goldenberg corruption scandal that brought Kenya’s economy to its knees. Kenya has never recovered from Goldenberg. It is time for Saitoti to “ stand aside ”

Last week following the departure of Moses Wetangula from the Foreign Ministry,
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga replaced and
appointed Prof. George Saitoti as acting Foreign Affairs minister.

This is astonishing to Kenyans who thought that the Wetangula purge was a sign
that the two principals of Kenya’s Grand Coalition government had finally
decided to tackle graft in their government by axing tainted Ministers. Why?

George Saitoti was the Minister of Finance in the Moi regime in the 1990s when
the Goldenberg fraud was perpetrated by his Ministry and Kamlesh Pattni.
Goldenberg cost the country over Ksh 158 billion according to a Judicial
Commission of Inquiry appointed by President Kibaki in 2003. The Inquiry
identified and named over a dozen individuals as perpetrators – and George
Saitoti was on that list of shame.

Four years later in 2010, Amos Wako, is yet to prosecute his Appeal against the
Saitoti Judgement which he said turned the well known and settled principles of
constitutional, administrative, criminal law and legal jurisprudence topsy
turvy. Worse he has said nothing as George Saitoti continues to sit as his
colleague in cabinet despite his claims that he is waiting for an investigation

file on Goldenberg; and that his office had advised the Government that the
Goldenberg Scheme was illegal and unlawful. If the Attorney General claims are
true, the Attorney General has no excuse for such inaction 4 years later.

Neither does the Law Society of Kenya which took a strong stand against the
Saitoti exoneration.
We believe that the 2 principals of the Grand Coalition, Mwai Kibaki and Raila
Odinga know that George Saitoti has not been cleared over Goldenberg. Indeed
the Prime Minister once sought to bring a private criminal prosecution against
Saitoti – a charge that was quashed by Amos Wako. We believe that they know
Amos Wako is basically sitting on the appeal he should have taken to court by
now. Political expediency being what it is, Kibaki and Odinga have decided to
turn a blind eye to the biggest corruption log in the eye of the Government –
Goldenberg – whilst sacrificing less valuable politicians such as Ruto and
Wetangula. Which begs the question why is George Saitoti such a sacred cow?

Over to you PLO Lumumba – end this impunity enjoyed by George Saitoti now.

Hell will freeze over before the Criminal Investigation Department gives the
Attorney General an investigation file on their boss. Saitoti should step aside
from his position as Internal Security Minister for Kenyans to believe that he
is not frustrating the Goldenberg investigation…….

Read the Full post here: http://blog.marsgroupkenya.org/?p=2474