Former Bonchari Member of Parliament Robert Oimeke has been sentenced to three years in prison.
This is after the court found him guilty of receiving Kes 200,000 bribe.
The Court however, directed him to substitute his jail term by paying a fine of Kes 1 million.
Anti-Corruption chief magistrate Peter Ooko ruled that Oimeke was guilty of the offence after the prosecution proved its case beyond doubt against him.
The magistrate however acquitted Oimeke on the first count of demanding Kes 500,000 bribe.
The court noted that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt that he demanded the bribe.
“I hereby acquit the accused on the first count under section 215 of the CPC, however, I find him guilty of the second count and convict him accordingly,” the magistrate ruled.
The ODPP in mitigation told the court that Oimeke’s action denied the government of Kenya much needed income through tax by delaying the opening of the said filling station.
“The corrupt behavior of the accused eroded the trust of Public institutions to deliver their mandate to the best interest of the people. And the same behavior acted as a roadblock to economic development and propagated inequality and injustices.
We therefore petition this court to be an equivocal in its sentencing by issuing a sentence that will serve as a deterrence and restore public trust in institutions made to serve the people.” said the Public Prosecutor.
In mitigation, Oimeke said he is remorseful. And since he lost his job. He said he was conscious of his actions and pleaded with the court for a lenient sentence.
The former MP, who was the Director General of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA at the time, was charged with accepting a Sh200,000 bribe in order to authorize the reopening of a filling station in Homa Bay county that had been closed due to noncompliance with regulations.
The magistrate observed in his decision that there were discrepancies in the defense’s claims regarding where the money was discovered.
In the second count, the former legislator was accused with requesting a financial benefit of Sh500,000 from a trader using the Signal private chat app on December 2, 2020, while employed by the Energy and Petroleum Regulator Authority as Director General.
