A 67 year old Italian national who had been charged in a Malindi court with five counts of being in the country illegally and forgery now wants to take a new plea.
The Italian Mafia Mr. De Caro Giovanni who has been held at the Malindi GK prison after Malindi Chief Magistrate Mrs. Lilian
Mutende withdrew a sh1 Million bond she had earlier issued, told the court that he wanted to change his earlier not guilty plea for reasons he
did not disclose.
However two months ago immigration Prosecutor Kipkoech Sang had urged the Magistrate to withdrawal the bond after the court found Giovanni to have a case to answer arguing that he was likely to flee out of the country to evade sentence.
On Thursday Mr. James Mouko, the accused lawyer said he had received instruction from his client that he wanted to take a new plea.
The Magistrate ordered the accused Mr. Giovanni to be returned to the court cells until the afternoon session when he was to take a plea.
Drama unfolded at the cells when the Italian mafia collapsed forcing officers manning the cells to rush him to hospital.
He was them admitted to what his lawyer said was heart complications.
The accused had been charged that on 31st January 2011 at Immigration offices within Malindi town in Coast province not being a Kenyan citizen was found to be unlawfully in the country.
Giovanni was in the second count charged that on the same day he was found to have failed to register as aliens as required by the Alien Restriction Act.
In the third count he was charged that on the material day he was found to have forged an endorsement for an extension of the validity of his Italian passport no A418967 purporting it to be from Italian authorities.
While in the fourth count, he was charged to have been found knowingly using a passport with forged endorsement for extensions of validity of passport.
The court also charged Giovanni with a fifth count of uttering a forged passport which he issued to immigration officer purporting it to be genuine, valid and suitable for travel.
Mr. Giovanni De caro is alleged to be wanted in his home country for various criminal acts and that he has been hiding in the country for more than ten years now.
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