HOME IS BEST: Lawyer Wandungi Karathe, Baktash Akasha and lawyer Cliff Ombeta in Nyali, Mombasa. Photo/ELKANA JACOB –
Lawyer Cliff Ombeta said his tears in court were of joy, following a four-month pursuit for the release of the Akasha brothers and two foreigners.
Baktash Akasha- son of slain drug baron Ibrahim Akasha – and foreigner Vijay Goswami were released on Sh30 million bond each on Monday.
“It had become a long fight and I am finally happy that they are out. I have documents to show that I have struggled and I am glad we have made it,” Ombeta told the Star in a phone interview.
He was speaking from the Akashas Nyali home on Monday, during a cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate the win.
Baktash and Goswami were released after Mombasa chief magistrate Maxwell Gicheru approved their sureties.
“The money was ready, we were only waiting for the magistrate to make the ruling,” Ombeta said.
He added that he would analyse CCTV footage to check if his clients were injured while in custody.
“Immediately after we complete our investigations, we will sue the state and those concerned over injuries and damages caused to my clients,” he said.
On February 9, the High Court released Baktash, Ibrahim Akasha, Vijay Goswami and Gulam Hussein on a Sh30 million bond with two similar sureties.
The DPP’s office however objected the release saying they would abscond court.
Judge Martin Muya upheld the decision made by judge Maureen Odero after the DPP asked for a review of the suspects’ application for release.
Muya said the Sh5 million bond granted by the trial magistrate was not strict enough to ensure the suspects did not not abscond and granted them the Sh30 million bond.
He directed them to comply with the trial magistrate’s condition of surrendering their passports.
Ibrahim and Hussein are yet to be released as their documents are still undergoing verification and valuation.
The four are wanted in the US for drug trafficking and are fighting extradition proceedings which are yet to begin.
The case continues on April 16.
Source- the-star.co.ke
