Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu has been arrested outside the Supreme court on Tuesday afternoon allegedly for abuse of office in connection with graft charges linked to the collapsed Imperial Bank.

Mwilu is facing five charges which include, abuse of office, failure to pay taxes and accepting bribes. She is accused of illegally receiving and moving payments totaling Kshs 1.2Bn from suspended Imperial Bank laundered as a loan.

According to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Noordin Haji, who ordered for her arrest, he has sufficient evidence to warrant conviction and possible criminal proceedings.

“The evidence in our possession reveals that Lady Justice Mwilu abused her office for personal gain; accepted a gift in the form of money in circumstances which undermine public confidence in the integrity of her office, obtaining execution of a security belonging to Imperial Bank Limited, now in receivership, by false pretense, unlawful failure to pay taxes, conducted herself in disregard of the law,” said Mr. Haji.

The DPP has also revealed that the decision to arrest the Deputy Chief Justice was not taken well by the judiciary.