The state has until Wednesday to prefer charges against six suspects including three police officers in the Sh72 million G4S heist.
This directive by chief magistrate Martha Mutuku comes as a big blow to the prosecution despite their application to detain the suspects at Lang'ata police station for seven days being granted.
“Every person has a right to freedom and the court cannot be used to curtail the rights of suspects. I, therefore, direct that the respondents be formally charged tomorrow,” Mutuku ruled at a Milimani court on Tuesday.
Additionally, Mutuku ordered that the accused persons receive treatment at Mbagathi Hospital after Kenyatta National Hospital allegedly declined to treat them.
Through the investigating officer, the DPP claimed that the suspects had also visited Mbagathi Hospital but could not be treated in their lawyers' absence.
The suspects are AP officers Chris Machogu and Boniface Mutua, corporal Duncan Luvuga, Vincent Owuor, Alex Mutuku and Francis Muriuki. They were arrested on Saturday.
On Monday, the suspects were arraigned and directed to be treated before a ruling on their detention could be made.
Last week, six G4S staff also linked to the heist by masquerading as police were arraigned at the same court.
The court had ruled that the six be held at Lang'ata police station for seven days to allow completion of investigations. The prosecution had sought 10 days.
Last Friday, police found broken cash boxes and 13 bags after the robbery last week on Thursday.
Detectives are investigating the theft of Sh72 million on transit from the G4S headquarters along Witu Road and an ATM in Nairobi West belonging to Standard Chartered Bank.
The boxes and bags were found in Thogoto Forest, Kiambu county.
Police also found bags and cash boxes belonging to Stanbic, KCB and Barclays banks.
The heist allegedly happened when officers escorting cash turned out to be robbers and offloaded the money to a Toyota Noah.
Edited by R.Wamochie
