Wife of missing Dutch tycoon to remain in police cell

A magistrate yesterday granted police 12 more days to continue detaining the wife of missing Dutch businessman Tob Cohen.

In her ruling, chief magistrate Patricia Gichohi of Kiambu said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations had complied to have suspect Sarah Wairimu detained at the Muthaiga police station to allow the completion of investigations.

Last Thursday, the magistrate ordered the suspect to remain in remand at the police station pending a ruling after the police applied to have him held for 14 days more days. Wairumu's lawyer, Philip Murgor, had opposed the application, saying that his client was innocent and did not understand why she was arrested.

"I don’t know why they are arresting her, yet she is also concerned about the whereabouts of her husband. She is innocent," Murgor said, adding that his client has been cooperative with the investigators.

The case will be mention for further directions on September 16.

 Wairimu was arrested on August 29 after the police had picked and interrogated her for the third time over the disappearance of Cohen on July 19, 2019, from their Lower Kabete home, Nairobi.

The police have mounted a massive search for Cohen. Earlier, the police said they had no clue on what happened to the golf lover who had an ongoing divorce case in court and had filed assault claims against his wife of 12 years.

It is said Wairimu had told the police her husband packed his personal belongings on the day he disappeared and drove out of their compound. Cohen's mobile phone has been off since.

They were not in talking terms in the midst of a divorce case that Cohen filed last December. After the ruling, lawyer Murgor accused the DCI of prosecuting his client through the media, but prosecutor Christine Mbevi dismissed the claim, saying no evidence has been tabled to prove it.

Murgor also wanted the magistrate to warn the media against prosecuting Wairimu before she is found guilty of any offence. However, he declined and instead told the media to be accurate in their reporting to avoid confrontation of matters before court.

In his affidavit, investigating officer Maxwell Otieno of the DCI Homicide Section said preliminary investigations established Wairimu coached some potential witnesses to give false testimony. He said the witnesses later recanted their first statements and gave the true version of what transpired that prompted them to treat her as a suspect. 

"We have interrogated Wairimu two times at her home and three times at the DCI headquarters. All this time, we had not treated her as a suspect...," Otieno told the court.

The DCI says Cohen was apprehensive about his life and shared threats he said were issued by Wairimu with some of his close friends.

Otieno said it is highly probable Cohen was kidnapped from his home by Wairimu and associates to an unknown place and probably murdered.

Otieno told the court he needed time to investigate letters allegedly authored by Cohen and addressed to advocate Judy Thongori, Parklands OCS, Spring Valley OCS and Gigiri OCPD, which were found to be forgeries.

The DCI wants Wairimu detained because some witnesses had expressed fears of being threatened as they were former employees of the couple. The court also heard there are other employees who have not recorded statements and the suspect could interfere with them.

The investigating officer said Cohen's residence is a crime scene, which must be sealed off as forensic investigations are being conducted.

Otieno informed the court that on February 8, Wairimu is reported to have pushed Cohen, prompting him to fall and suffer injuries in the forehead. And while lying on the ground bleeding, Wairimu came on top of him and started punching and kicking him.

Cohen is said to have sought treatment at MP Shah Hospital and on February 13 reported the assault at the Parklands police station.

(Edited by F'Orieny)