Court dismisses prayer to detain Governor Obado in guns case

ObadoMigori Governor Okoth Obado during a past court session in Nairobi. [Photo/Standard]

Migori Governor Okoth Obado has been granted a bond of Sh500, 000 with surety of a similar amount in the guns possession case he is facing.

This was after a Magistrate at the Kibera Law Courts, Joyce Gandani, dismissed the application by the prosecution to detain him for a further 15 days.

The magistrate granted him an alternative cash bail of Sh200,000 and directed him to report to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices every fortnight.

“The application is dismissed and the applicant is granted a bond of Sh500,000 with a surety of a similar amount or a cash bail of Sh200,000,” she directed.

“The respondent is ordered not to interfere by himself or his agents with the ongoing investigations, failure of which the bond will be cancelled,” she cautioned.

Gandani explained that there was no reason shown by the prosecution that would warrant his detention since he posed no flight risk.

“There are no compelling reasons shown to justify the denial of bond here and after considering all the factors here, I am satisfied that the respondent is not a flight risk and will appear for trial if need be and is not likely to tamper with the evidence or witnesses,” she stated.

During submissions, the prosecution led by Catherine Mwaniki said that police needed more time to finalise investigations.

But Obado’s lawyers Cliff Ombeta and Rodger Sagana opposed to the application to deny Obado bail, terming it a witch-hunt and clear violation of his rights.

The guns in his house were seized by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives who were looking for evidence in a corruption probe involving Sh2 billion in Migori County.

Obado is out on bond in a murder case in which he is accused of killing his lover Sharon Otieno and her unborn baby.

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