This archive report was first published on 8 November 2019.
On November 8, 2019, Lithuanian national Gytis Kudirka appeared before Justice Eric Ogola at the Mombasa High Court, where he was serving a seven-year prison sentence for trafficking in heroine worth Sh49 million.
With only 20 days left to complete his sentence, Kudirka informed the court that he no longer wished to pursue a reduction in his sentence, stating, “Your honour, I have been seeking to have remission on my sentence for four months now but I wish to withdraw it. I am left with 20 days to finish the sentence and it is up to you to decide on reducing the sentence but I am ready to finish my remaining days,”
Initially, Kudirka had filed a petition in 2018 accusing the State of discriminating against him and denying him a sentence review due to his foreign nationality. However, he has since withdrawn this petition.
Justice Ogola granted Kudirka's application to withdraw his petition and wished him well as he completes his remaining sentence, stating, “The court allows your application to withdraw the sentence and we wish you all the best as you wind up the remaining sentence,”
