Noordin Haji explained why he withdrew high profile cases during is tenure as the Director of Public Prosecution saying he acted within the law, and anyone can take up the cases for judicial review.
Haji who is a nominee for the National Intelligence Service Director General post appeared for vetting before the National Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.
He defended himself from the controversial decisions he made after the committee put him on the spot to explain his motive for withdrawing the high-profile cases which allegedly tainted his public integrity.
However, the DPP clarified that he had to withdraw the cases due to the threshold of evidence tabled after it emerged that some were forged.
“In some of the cases, the investigating officers themselves submitted affidavits to say that they produced evidence that wasn’t complete, and some were tampered with,” Haji stated.
Moreover, he stated that he did not solely withdraw the cases as the criminal justice system provides that the judiciary has the final say when it comes to the withdrawal of charges.
“I didn’t have the final say in all these cases. The constitution has put in place safeguards to ensure there are no abuses of court processes. The court are there some can go and challenge the ODPP and table evidence that I have been compromised,” Haji stated.
Likewise, the DPP refuted accusations that he received the spymaster appointment as a reward for withdrawing the high-profile cases.
Also Read: Noordin Haji: Kenya’s Next Spymaster
He further told the vetting committee that his integrity is top notch following his 5-year tenure as the DPP that has received criticism from civil society who have accused him of biases.
He further added that the 20-petition filed to have him removed from office were thwarted by the courts as they were devised out of witch hunt.
“I had to make that decision because its guided by the rule of law and ensures there’s no miscarriage to the rule of justice. I don’t regret making that decision. I was threatened by 20 cases in three years during my tenure,” he stated.
