A man accused of interfering with witnesses in the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) heist investigations was on Thursday arraigned in a Nkubu court and ordered to pay a bond of Sh300,000 or cash bail of Sh200,000 pending hearing of the case.
Benedict Mutuku was arraigned before Principal Magistrate Eric Otieno where he denied two charges.
The suspect is accused of promising a token to Bradina Magaju, ‘a witness in a judicial proceeding in the NHIF heist case’, with the intention of affecting her testimony.
In the second count, Mutuku is charged with conspiring, with others not before court, to defeat justice by interfering with the execution of criminal process.
He is said to have promised the victim that the amount charged on his NHIF card will be reimbursed to her account so as not to testify before court.’
Mutuku is accused of committing the offence on Wednesday at Gatuune village in Imenti South on July 12.
Principal Magistrate Otieno set the matter for a mention on July 27.
The NHIF heist expose by NTV involved five hospitals which the health cabinet secretary Susan Nakhumicha ordered closed pending a thorough probe. The Meru County Assembly is also investigating the hospitals.
They were accused of swindling elderly Meru residents, who are subscribed to NHIF, in the pretense of treating arthritis.
