Three suspects charged with theft of IPOA murder probe files

Three suspects charged with theft of IPOA murder probe files

Three men have been charged with stealing murder investigation files belonging to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).

Nobert Ouko Opeyo, Bernard Ochieng Okello and David Bahati Okunda are alleged to have committed the offense on May 29 at the IPOA head office.

The three were also charged with an alternative count of handling stolen goods.

They all pleaded not guilty before Magistrate David Ndungi.

However, the Prosecution urged the court not to grant them bail saying the stolen files have put witnesses at risk as there are other files which are missing from the IPOA office.

“Therefore we are requesting that the accused be remanded at Capitol Police Station on the basis that the investigating officer needs to make arrangements with the witness protection agency to ensure the safety of the witnesses,” the court was told.

The accused persons through their lawyer urged the court to dismiss the application insisting that the offense is bailable.

The prosecution had sought for 10 days.

In a short ruling, the court denied the three accused persons bail and ordered that the accused be detained for a period of seven days.

The trial magistrate ordered that pre-bail reports be prepared and presented in court on June 4, 2021.

“The reason that they are likely to interfere with witnesses is compelling enough to deny the accused persons bail. However the 10 days are too many,” the court noted.

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