Trial magistrate of the ongoing Ksh.213 million graft case against former Nairobi Governor, Dr. Evans Kidero, Douglas Ogoti has issued orders barring the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) and the defence from tweeting about the case on their social media platforms.
Douglas Ogoti issued the orders on Wednesday after lawyers for the defence complained to the court about the DPP’s tweets, saying that the tweets generate comments that are affecting the parties charged in the case.
“I order that no parties involved in this case should engage or tweet about this case in the media-social media (This does not include mainstream media),” Ogoti directed.
The defence submitted that the tweets undermined the integrity and dignity of the proceedings and that of the accused persons, and therefore not promoting a fair trial.
In their defence, however, the lawyer representing the DPP Joseph Rungu opposed the application saying that the prosecution is not prosecuting the case on social media, but rather being transparent and accountable.