Reprieve fo Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti after the Court of Appeal temporarily suspended his four-month jail sentence.
A three-judge bench led by Justice Fatuma Sichale suspended the sentence as they deliberate and write their ruling, which will be delivered on April 1, 2022.
This comes a day after the High Court issued a warrant of arrest against Kinoti for contempt of court.
Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai was ordered to arrest Kinoti and present him in court to face contempt of court charges.
“Whereas George Maingi Kinoti has this day been charged before this court for contempt of court order pursuant to an order issued by Hon. Justice Mwita on the 21st June 2019. Therefore, you are hereby commanded to apprehend the said Mr. George Maingi Kinoti and to bring him before this court to answer to the said charge and to be further dealth with according to law,” reads the order.
The appeal comes after the Attorney General filed an appeal challenging the decision of the High Court to commit Kinoti to civil jail over contempt of the court’s order.
Kihara Kariuki, through lawyer Cecil Miller wanted Kinoti’s sentence to Kamiti Maximum Security Prison suspended.
“The DCI has since written to the Attorney-General instructing them to write to Wanjigi’s advocates inform them to collect their firearms from the board. By doing so, the DCI has purged the contempt,” stated the AG in court papers.
“Wanjigi maliciously failed to failed to disclose to this court material facts which if were disclosed, the court would have arrived at a different decision.”
The AG claimed that the contempt charges against Kinoti were misdirected because the Firearms Licencing Board is the custodian of firearms.