Red alert was issued against ivory suspect
What you need to know:
Chief Inspector told court that they received a warrant of arrest against Mr Ali from the court when Interpol posted it on its website.
Mr Gekonde who was previously attached to Interpol said the agency normally issues the red alert against a wanted person by a particular country.
Tanzanian police brought Mr Ali to Kenya on December 24, 2014.
Interpol had issued a red alert against Mombasa businessman Feisal Ali before he was arrested over claims of engaging in illegal ivory trade, an officer has told court.
Chief Inspector of Police Japhet Gekonde said Mr Ali who is facing a charge of being in possession of ivory worth Sh44 million would later be arrested in a hotel in Tanzania.
He said they received a warrant of arrest against Mr Ali from the court when Interpol posted it on its website.
Mr Gekonde who was previously attached to Interpol said the agency normally issues the red alert against a wanted person by a particular country.
He said in December 2014, they were informed Mr Ali was in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Testifying before Mombasa principal magistrate Diana Mochache, the witness said, they travelled to Tanzania on December 21, 2014 where they linked up with their Interpol counterparts.
“We went to Msimbazi Police Station to get reinforcement and later managed to trace and intercept Mr Ali,” Mr Gekonde told court.
“We had his photograph the investigating officer had given us. We also had an informer,” he said as he was being led through his evidence by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Alexander Muteti.
DEPORTATION
After his arrest, Tanzanian police also raised questions over whether Mr Ali was in the country legally.
Later, Tanzanian authorities are said to have decided to deport him.
Mr Gekonde said they were advised to return to Kenya and wait for the suspect. Tanzanian police brought Mr Ali to Kenya on December 24, 2014.
Upon cross examination by defence lawyer Gikandi Ngibuini, the officer told the court he did not have a copy of the warrant of arrest but he saw a deportation order against Mr Ali when he was handed over by Tanzanian authorities.
The officer, attached to Kenya Revenue Authority, denied they unlawfully arrested and deported Mr Ali.
Another witness, Corporal Joseph Koech, said on December 24 last year that his senior asked to pick Mr Ali in Lunga Lunga after he was deported from Tanzania.
Mr Ali has been charged alongside Mr Abdul Halim Sadiq, Mr Ghalib Sadiq Kara, Mr Praverz Noor Mohamed and Mr Abdulmajeed Ibrahim.
The offence was allegedly committed on June 5, 2014 at Tudor Estate, Mombasa.
The case has been adjourned until February 10.
