AN ICC witness who had refused to testify has given the court five reasons why he should not be forced to testify until after 21 days.
Through lawyer Geoffrey Mutai the witness told ICC judges that he was seeking an adjournment for 21 days so that he can also get his telephone records including MPesa transactions.
The unidentified witness gave the judges reasons why he shouldn’t testify now as the trial in the case against Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang resumed at The Hague.
The prosecution through lawyer Anton Styneberg protested the move by the witnesses saying that he was lying about his health status as one of the reasons used in seeking for the adjournment. Styneberg said that this had not been brought up before and did not warrant an adjournment of his testimony.
The witness additionally told the court that he is depressed and cannot withstand the rigor of testifying and provided a medical report to support his reasons.
Styneberg however questioned the credibility of the doctor who said the witness is depressed saying he is a general practitioner and not psychiatrist.
The witness also told the Court that he wants a senior counsel who will guide him through his testimony adding that he had identified one who he is awaiting confirmation from.
The witness also says that the prosecution has denied him a chance to look at his statement saying he had recanted parts of it. He also said that he has issues with prosecution withholding his documents including his passport which was only returned Monday morning.
– the-star.co.ke
