By Dorothy Musyoka
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has arraigned two men at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Court after they were arrested in Mombasa for allegedly possessing rhino horns worth KSh 10 million.
The suspects, Feiswal Mohamed Ali, 58, and Mohammed Hassan Kontoma, 75, were arrested on Tuesday in the Mama Ngina area of Mombasa.
“Feiswal Mohamed Ali, aged 58 years old, and Mohammed Hassan Kontoma, aged 75 years old, were arrested in the Mama Ngina area in Mombasa on Tuesday in possession of two Rhino horns weighing 2.2 kg with an estimated value of 10 million shillings. They were flown to Nairobi to face charges of dealing in and possessing wildlife trophies,” explained the ODPP.
During the arraignment, the DPP filed a miscellaneous criminal application seeking to have the suspects detained for 10 days to allow investigators from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to complete inquiries into the case.
The prosecution informed the court that the suspects are believed to be key players in a sophisticated transnational ivory smuggling syndicate, responsible for sourcing, transporting, financing, and coordinating international markets for illegally obtained wildlife trophies.
Prosecuting Counsel Allan Mulama urged the court to grant the investigating officers more time to conclude investigations.
“Prosecuting counsel Allan Mulama told the court that the DPP is seeking more time to enable the investigating agencies to subject the recovered rhino horns to DNA testing to determine their geographic origin and also to carry out digital forensics on two mobile phones, which were seized from the suspects,” stated the ODPP.
The prosecution further revealed that Feiswal Mohamed Ali is a flight risk, having previously faced an Interpol international arrest warrant for environmental crimes.
He also has a prior conviction where he was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and fined KSh 20 million for being in possession of 228 pieces of ivory weighing 317 kg.
Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku is expected to deliver a ruling on Friday on whether the suspects will be detained to allow completion of investigations.