The Akasha brothers who were extradited to the United States on drug trafficking charges have been newly accused by prosecutors of bribing Kenyan officials and brandishing guns.
Baktash and Ibrahim Akasha, held in New York for the past one year, are facing the new allegations filed last month and cited during the defendants' appearance in a US federal court.
On Friday, however, attorneys for the Akasha brothers and a co-defendant, Pakistani national Gulam Hussein, pleaded not guilty to all charges against them.
In a rare turn of events, US prosecutor Amanda Houle told Presiding Judge Victor Marrero that discussions concerning a possible plea deal “are over.”
[caption caption="The Akasha brothers in Court in Kenya"]
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Her comment implied that prosecutors and attorneys for the defendants were unable to reach a consensus on a possible reduction in prison time if they pleaded guilty and promised to cooperate with investigators.
US prosecutors stated that the Akashas “agreed to pay bribes, and caused others to pay bribes to officials, law enforcement officers, judges and at least one prosecutor in Kenya, to avoid extradition to the United States.”
However, the indictment did not name any of the officials whom the Akashas sought to bribe.
During and in relation to [alleged] drug-trafficking crimes, the new indictment also charged the Akashas with using and carrying firearms, which were brandished.
Christopher Cassar, an attorney representing Baktash Akasha complained that he had not received documents from the Kenyan government in support of allegations that the Akashas were “expelled” from Kenya in January 2017.
[caption caption="Baktash Akasha aged 40, his brother Ibrahim, 28, Gulam Hussein and Vijaygiri Goswami during their arrest in Mombasa for conspiracy to import heroin"]
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Judge Marrero set October 8 as the starting date for a trial which Ms Houle estimated would run for about three weeks.
