Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho has written to the International Police Organisation (Interpol) asking them to clarify on reports that he is in the wanted list of drug barons.
Through his lawyer, DBM Mosota, Joho is reported to have asked Interpol if it’s true he was being sought for arrest purportedly for charges of organized crimes.
He stated that he had been informed of a statement issued on November 10, 2018, purportedly from the Interpol listing him among the fugitives.
Public opinion
Mosota told Interpol that his client has been subjected to the court of public opinion without being given an opportunity to refute the allegations.
“This has caused irreparable damage and will continue to do so if there is no official confirmation from your office on the authenticity or lack thereof of the said statement and notice,” the letter stated in part.
“It is, therefore, in our client’s interests, the interests of all residents of the county of Mombasa and the nation as a whole that your office informs us on the authenticity or lack thereof of the statement,” Mosota added.
Joho told Interpol there was an inclination by the public to believe the contents of the statement and notice purportedly from them.
Lawsuit
“The circulation of statements or notices without any form of verification of the authenticity of such statements prejudices our client’s credibility in refuting the claims publicly as well as the credibility of any subsequent communiques from Interpol,” he argues.
A letter, which was circulated widely especially on social media, led to some political leaders calling on President Uhuru Kenyatta to hand over Joho to international authorities.
The Mombasa County boss had threatened to sue his Nandi counterpart Stephen Sang and MPs Oscar Sudi (Kapseret), Kimani Ichung’wah (Kikuyu) and Didimus Barasa (Kimilili) for linking him to the drug trade.
