Businessman Feisal Ali who is facing charges of being in possession of ivory has asked the Court to determine the case on the basis of evidence and not external pressure.
Mr Ali said there was global pressure on the Kenyan government to charge him for the crime.
In the case, Mr Ali is being accused of allegedly being found in possession of 2,152 Kgs of ivory worth Sh44 million on June 5, 2014 in Tudor, Mombasa County.
Mr Ali was charged alongside Ghalib Sadiq Kara, Abdul Halim Sadiq, Pravez Noor Mohamed and Abdulmajeed Ibrahim.
During the Wednesday hearing, Mr Ali through lawyer Gikandi Ngibuini asked Mombasa Principal Magistrate Diana Mochache to disregard any pressure in determining the case.
Lawyer Ngibuini also asked the court to determine whether an inventory of the items drafted by the police was relevant evidence.
“The court should disregard any pressure including the recent burning of tonnes of ivory in determining the case,” said Mr Ngibuini.
The lawyer called for the acquittal of Mr Ali and his co-accused on the grounds that his constitutional rights to a fair hearing were violated and that the State had not provided any evidence linking him to the alleged crime.
He said failure by the prosecution to call certain witnesses was an injustice to the businessman and his co-accused.
Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Alexander Muteti who asked the court to jail the accused persons based on the evidence provided by the witnesses said the court was not subject to any pressure.
The case will be heard on July 22 when Magistrate Mochache will deliver her judgement.