Nairobi governor pleads not guilty to graft charges

NAIROBI: The flashy governor of Nairobi on Monday pleaded not guilty to over 30 charges of money laundering, receiving bribes and conflict of interest in a court appearance held under tight security.

Governor Mike , the latest top official to be hauled in on corruption charges in Kenya, is accused of having benefited from irregular procurement and payments of $3.5 million (3.1 million euros).

He pleaded "not guilty" to all the charges when he was arraigned before anti-corruption court magistrate Douglas Ogoti, in a packed court secured by anti-riot police. "You knowingly acquired property and money knowing it was the proceeds of crime," a state prosecutor read out one of the charges, to which Sonko replied: "Not true."

State prosecutors also read out details from Sonko´s bank accounts and several dates on which money was wired.