Nakuru DCIO James Leila yesterday appeared before a Nakuru Court where he requested for more time to investigate the circumstances in which an officer was allegedly reinstated to office even after interdiction following allegations of defilement. Speaking in court, he requested the Magistrate Elizabeth Kelly to grant him two weeks to finalize investigations against the accused that forged a letter from the Magistrates office clearing him off the charges.
The accused, an officer, senior Sergeant Phillip Maritim allegedly forged a letter emanating from the Nakuru Magistrates Court which indicated that he had been cleared off the charges and could resume duty. The prosecution led by Cosmus Ikunywa had dismissed the letter when it was availed before court noting that the signature on the letter did not match that of the learned Magistrate.
The DCIO yesterday told the court that they had not yet been able to establish yet the origin of the letter but were suspecting that the same emanated from the suspect who has since then absconded court and gone into hiding. “It is not directly my duty to investigate the matter but my officers are working tirelessly to investigate the origin and author of the said forged letter,” he said.
However the Magistrate noted that the AP commandant is also obliged to address the court and make it clear whether the said officer had been reinstated back to work after forging the purported letter. Maritim faces charges of defiling a minor at Kivumbini AP line in Nakuru on November 28, 2013. He also faces an alternative charge of incident act with a minor. He was released on Sh50, 000 bond with a surety of similar amount after he denied the charges but then vanished. The bond has since been forfeited to the state and arrest warrant issued. The matter was slated for June 10.