In their application at the Mombasa law courts, state counsels Peter Kiprop and Brian Ayodo said the suspects were arrested for having 314 pieces of elephant tasks weighing 2,152 kg.
They told the court police are yet to record statements. The two said they needed to detain Ghalib Kara and Abdul Omar for five days at the Port police station to complete their investigations.
The ivory was found in a vehicle yard in Tudor when police raided the premises belonging to Fujin Motors on June 5 morning, according to an affidavit sworn by an Administration Police officer.
Kiprop and Ayodo told the court they need more time to get the evidence of crucial witnesses in the case. They said they need to investigate the source and destination of the tusks. The two said police are following leads as the offence is trans-border and requires more time.
They asked the court not to release the duo on bond, stating that their intended charge is very serious considering the number of trophies recovered and the sentence to be imposed in the event of conviction.
Francis Kadima, Abubakar Yusuf and Cliff Ombeta representing Kara and Omar opposed the prosecution’s application. The ruling was set for Monday.