Venezuela diplomat in Kenya to be held for six days

Dwight Sagaray was arrested by police probing the death of Olga Fonseca Gimenez, the Venezuelan charge d'affaires. By Stringer (AFP)

NAIROBI (AFP) - A Kenyan court ruled Tuesday that a senior Venezuelan diplomat is to be held by police for six more days to allow further investigations into the death by strangulation of the acting ambassador.

"The court rules that the respondent be detained at Gigiri police station (in Nairobi) for a period of six days," said judge Florence Muchemi.

The prosecution had on Monday requested the court to grant it permission to hold Dwight Sagaray, first secretary at the embassy of Venezuela, for 14 days.

"The 14-day period will be unnecessarily too long, and the security of the defendant may be at risk," Muchemi ruled.

Sagaray was arrested Saturday by police investigating the death of Olga Fonseca Gimenez, 57, the Venezuelan charge d'affaires and acting ambassador, found strangled in her Nairobi home on Friday.

In her ruling the judge said the 24-hour period for which police are allowed to hold a suspect without charging him was insufficient for thorough investigations into the case.

"The investigating officers could not have done much within the time stipulated in law," she said, adding that if Sagaray was released he would "definitely influence junior personnel".

As a diplomat, Sagaray should be eligible for diplomatic immunity, but this was waived before his arrest, Kenyan officials have said.