Court clears blogger Nyakundi in extortion case
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji has terminated a Sh17.6million extortion case against blogger Cyprian Nyakundi after the High Court declared his trial unconstitutional.
Haji acted a week after lawyer Duddley Ochiel told the court the rights of the accused had been violated via consistent court attendance.
State prosecutor Esther Onunga informed Milimani Principal Magistrate Zainab Abdul of the decision.
” I have received instructions not to proceed with this matter and l urge the court to terminate it and discharge the accused persons,” said Onunga.
Nyakundi, a popular and controversial blogger, and his co-accused had been battling charges in relation to attempting to extort Sh 1 million from the Chief Executive of Victoria Bank.
The sum was to act as a down payment of an earlier demand of Sh 17.5 million as pre-condition for pulling down several libelous articles posted in their blog on diverse dates between September 10, 2019 and January 15, 2020.
The two are alleged to have committed the offence on January 20 2020 at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi.
The police had said the money was recovered from the suspects after a successful investigation in the extortion bid, blackmail, and false accusations.