Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko with Mombasa Republican Council Omar Mwamnuadzi during a past media briefing. Photo/ the-star.co.ke
Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko has asked a Mombasa court to release him as Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) leader Omar Mwamnuadzi's surety.On Friday, Sonko, through lawyer Jared Magolo told the court he had tried in vain to find the wanted MRC leader.The Senator told the court that his efforts to even send private detectives he had hired to neighbouring Tanzania to hunt for Mwamnuadzi have not yielded any fruit.Sonko stood as surety for Mwamnuadzi and 38 others who are accused of being MRC members.State prosecutor Jami Yenina said the court should decide whether to forfeit the surety after the Senator failed to produce the MRC leader in court.Yenina, however, was quick to clarify that there was no connection indicating Sonko had colluded with Mwamnuadzi to go under.“There is no connection indicating that Mwamnuadzi was entertained by the Senator to disappear. It is the court’s discretion to justify if the surety has shown sufficient case to remain standing surety or have his surety forfeited,” Yenina said as quoted by the Standard.Mwamnuadzi's lawyer Yusuf Abubakar asked the court not to punish Sonko saying he acted in goodwill.He said Mwamnuadzi's family is also not aware of the MRC leader's whereabouts.On his part, the resident magistrate Edgar Kagoni said; “The only remedy after an accused has absconded court is to forfeit whatever surety had deposited in court. We cannot continue to delay the case further.”