Akashas would still be free in Kenya, Matiang’i blasts Judiciary

By , K24 Digital
On Mon, 30 Sep, 2019 12:30 | < 1 min read
Matiangi
Interior CS Fred Matiang'i during the launch of Nacada's 2019-2022 strategic plan on Monday, September 30, 2019, in Nairobi. PHOTO | PD
Interior CS Fred Matiang'i during the launch of Nacada's 2019-2022 strategic plan on Monday, September 30, 2019, in Nairobi. PHOTO | PD

Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Fred Matiang’i on Monday criticized the Judiciary over failure to convict known drug traffickers.

CS Matiang’i said it was shameful that the Akasha brothers were brought to justice after being extradited to the United States.

“They never slept in a police cell. They were released 10 times via bonds by Judiciary. Until the Akashas were jailed in US, they might be roaming here and continuing to kill our youths,” said Dr Matiangi.

The CS was speaking during the launch of 2019-2022 National Agency for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada).

Baktash Akasha, a confessed international drug trafficker, was sentenced to 25 years in jail by a US judge in August 2019.

Baktash and his brother, Ibrahim, were arrested in 2015 in Kenya alongside Gulam Hussein and Vijaygiri Goswami, in a US-led sting operation.

The four drug-trafficking suspects were extradited to the US by the US Drug Enforcement Agency.

By the time of their arrest, the four were out on bail from charges filed in a Kenyan court by the counter-terrorism and anti-narcotics units.

Last year, Chief Justice (CJ) David Maraga said reports linking Judicial officers to corrupt deals of the Akasha family were malicious.

CJ Maraga wrote to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to identify people behind social media campaigns out to “besmirch the reputation of officers in the Judiciary.”

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