Sh.50m KCB theft case pushed to next year, suspects out on bond.

The three suspects appearing in court covering their faces with hoods to avoid being captured by media cameras that had jammed the courtroom on Thursday.

A Thika Court on Thursday released on bond, the three suspects linked to the theft of more than Sh.50 million from Thika KCB Bank branch.

While making her ruling, Chief Magistrate Theresa Murigi ordered that each of the accused be released on a bond of Sh. 4 million with a surety of similar amount. She also ordered them to deposit their passports with the court.

Justice Murigi stated that there was no evidence tendered before court to show that the release of the three would interfere with the proceedings and that they would be at flight risk once set free.

“There are no compelling reasons to prove that the accused were planning to flee the country. The burden of proof to deny the suspects bond lay squarely on the prosecution and not the accused persons who are entitled to bail terms under the constitution. I therefore do not see any reason to deny them the prayer,” Ms. Murigi said.

The three were granted bond after an application by the Defence Counsel, Zacky Odegi, on Monday, November 27 where he had applied for his clients to be released on a bond or cash bail.

(Related story: Three suspects held over the KCB sh. 50m Heist denied bail by a Thika Court.)

He argued that the police had failed to show course why his clients could not be released.

However, Halford Munene Murakaru, 32, Charles Mwangi Murakaru, 30 and their 32-year-old cousin Julius Ndung’u Wainaina denied all the charges leveled against them. 

The trio have been accused that between November 18^th and 20^th this year, they broke into the Kenya Commercial Bank Thika branch through an underground tunnel and stole Ksh. 52,650,000.

They faced a second count that on November 25 at Joyland estate of Juja Township, Kiambu County, they were found in possession of Ksh. 17,135,000, 3,660 Euros, 340 pound sterling, 1,311 US dollars 271,000 Tanzanian shillings, 95 Australian dollars, 40 SA Rand and 20,000 Ugandan shillings stolen from the bank.

The case will be heard on March 29^th 2018 while the mention will be on December 14, 2017.