Kenya court drops prosecution of former Philips exec's widow accused of his murder
Authorities in Kenya dropped the murder charges against Sarah Wairimu and Peter Karanja, both accused of killing Dutch businessman Tob Cohen. Cohen, the former CEO of Philips East Africa, was found tied up and hidden in a septic tank alongside the couple's residence in Kitisuru, Kenya. Cohen, 69, had been going through a bitter divorce from his wife, but then went missing for 60 days before his body was found in 2019. The widow, now aged 55, was arrested a month later.
Prosecutors in the case announced last week they filed an application to withdraw the murder charges against the suspects claiming a lack of evidence in the case and a botched investigation. The problems came to a head in October when Senior Assistant Inspector General of Police John Gachomo denounced an affidavit he signed a year earlier that alleged a conspiracy involving an appeals court judge, police, and Wairimu to kill Cohen and cover it up.
Even prior to that, Jacinta Nyamosi, from the prosecutor's office, said she asked investigators to clarify 35 different aspects of the case, but said that has not happened thus far. “The statements recorded by the police indicate that several cops in civilian clothes visited the compound of the late Cohen and the identity of the said officers remains undisclosed,” Nyamosi said. Additionally, she wanted to know about a senior police official's relationship to Wairimu, and details about allegations related to a claim that his assets were transferred with forged documents. To date, she claimed her office was not adequately informed.
The High Court granted the prosecution's request to withdraw the charges on Tuesday. Instead, the case file will be further pursued as an inquest. It could potentially lead to new charges against Wairimu and Karanja, or new suspects should they emerge from a continued investigation.
Gabriele van Straten, Cohen's sister, denounced plans to drop the case, and said the victim's surviving relatives were never informed in writing of the prosecutor's plans. "No information about the withdrawal was given to the victims, and how it led to a new investigation into the murder," the family's lawyer told De Telegraaf.
The family's objections were overruled by Judge Daniel Ogembo, saying that the prosecutor's office was within their right to evaluate the case and decide how to proceed. He noted that the two suspects can still be prosecuted at a later date.
