Cops Granted Orders To Search And Seize Pastor Paul Mackenzie Properties

MALINDI, Kenya April 26 -Detectives have been granted orders to search and seize all property belonging to controversial pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and eight other suspects.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji had on Tuesday directed the investigation officers to identify the assets of the suspects for the purposes of preservation, confiscation and forfeiture.

Upon application before court, Sergeant Joseph Yator of Malindi DCI was granted orders to search Mackenzie’s premises where he lives and or carries on his business in Furunzi and Shakahola.

The officers were also granted orders to search the premises and residences of Robert Kahindi Katana, Sanga Stephen Muye, Gedion Mbithi Kioko, Joseph Kenga Mbogoli, Stephen Ominde Lwangu, Smart Mwakalama and Alfred Asena.

The search is for the purposes of retrieving bank details or documents, title documents, sale agreements, motor vehicle details and any other item linked to the offences of terrorism, radicalization, murder.

The detectives were also authorized to seize any such property as stipulated in the execution of the warrants and bring them to court for appropriate orders

Malindi Law Courts Magistrate ordered that the search be conducted in the presence of the counsel for the respondents who will also make an inventory of the items or goods that will be seized during the search.

The search warrants are valid for a period of ten days and the search of the premises will be conducted during day time.

On Tuesday, Haji said MacKenzie may face terror charges. He added that the suspects may have committed serious crimes including murder, counseling and aiding persons to kill themselves, terrorist acts by threatening national security and public safety and radicalization.

“The suspects may have been promoting radical belief systems for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious or social change,” he said.

This is contrary to Section 12D of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2012 and upon conviction a person is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 30 years.

The DPP had also on Tuesday obtained further orders for the exhumation of unknown number of bodies from the 800-acre land.