This archive report was first published on 16 September 2019.
On September 16, 2019, Justice Jessie Lessit, the presiding judge in the murder case of Dutch businessman Tob Cohen, issued an order barring the media from reporting on the investigations into the case.
The order, which was made on Monday, declared that the Directorate of Criminal Investigation, Director of Public Prosecution, victims, and the defence should not address the media in the ongoing case.
Justice Lessit ruled that the media should only report on what transpires in court, effectively limiting their ability to cover the investigations.
“The media has also been barred from publishing investigations into the matter. So I don’t expect any address from either part who are here,” said Justice Lessit.
The main suspect in the case, Sarah Wairimu, Cohen’s wife, will remain in police custody until September 26, when she is expected to take a plea. She is also scheduled to undergo a mental assessment before taking a plea.
The case has garnered significant attention, with Cohen’s body being discovered in a septic tank within his home’s compound in Nairobi in July 2019. Initial analysis of the body showed that he was tortured and his hands were tied to the back before he was strangled.
