TWO people arrested with elephant tusks were yesterday charged in a Mombasa court. Ghalib Kara and Abdul Omar were charged with having wildlife trophies contravening the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act.
The court heard that on June 6 at Fuji Motors East Africa Ltd on Tom Mboya Avenue in Tudor, the two with others not before court were found with 314 pieces of elephant tusks without a permit. The tusks weighed more than 2000kgs.
They also face another charge of dealing in trophies of an endangered species without a license. Prosecutors Peter Kiprop and Wangoi Gichuhi said three other suspects are still at large. They include Praverz Mohamed, Abdulmajeed Ibrahim and Feisal Mohamed.
Lawyers Francis Kadima, Abubakar Yusuf and Cliff Ombeta representing Kara and Omar pleaded with the court to release their clients on bail. They said the prosecution did not give compelling reasons to deny their clients bail and that the offence is bailable in law.
Kadima said holding his client is malicious as there are no good reasons. He said the prosecution should not deny his client bail on allegations that he might interfere with investigations. Ombeta told the court his client is a businessman and would not abscond if released on bond.
He said his client is a resident of Mombasa and the sole breadwinner of his family. The ruling on bond was set for June 18. The hearing is on August 26.