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Gilbert Deya |
Is Deya finally on his way back to Kenya?
Published on
By Evelyn Kwamboka
A British court has rejected Archbishop Gilbert Deya’s bid to appeal against an extradition order.
Two judges declined to allow the self-styled bishop appeal to the House of Lords against a decision to extradite him to Kenya, issued last year.
The Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko yesterday said he was working closely with the UK prosecution services to ensure justice is done.
"The court has given permission to extradite him and we are ready for him," Tobiko told The Standard.
A Kenyan warrant of arrest against Deya over his claims he helps barren women conceive miraculously, is still in force. Police have been investigating an alleged child trafficking and smuggling racket between Kenya and Britain.
Deya faces several charges in a case involving the ‘Miracle Babies’ saga. In some cases he is charged along with his wife Mary, who completed her sentence at the Lang’ata Women’s Prison, a few weeks ago.
His wife’s advocate Cliff Ombetta said if the UK court has decided it is necessary to extradite Deya, then Kenya should speed up the case once he arrives.
Gilbert Deya
In a story carried by the BBC, two High Court judges refused to give Deya permission to appeal to the House of Lords against the extradition order. Deya’s lawyers had argued that his case should be certified as one raising issues of public importance and should be considered by the House of Lords.
Deya has no other avenue to appeal in the UK and his lawyers are considering a last-ditch application to the European Court of Human Rights.