A woman charged with being a member of Al-Shabaab and who fell
ill last month has been transferred to a Nairobi hospital for further
treatment.
Maryam Said Aboud, is one of four women charged in March with being members of the Somalia-based terrorist group.
The suspect had been scheduled to undergo surgery at Coast Provincial General Hospital (CPGH).
But
Tuesday, it emerged that Ms Aboud was transferred to Nairobi following
recommendations from the doctor who had treated her at CPGH.
State Counsel Sarah Ogweno told a court sitting in Mombasa that the woman was moved to Nairobi for treatment.
“The
matter was coming up for mention but we have received information that
the suspect has been moved to a Nairobi hospital for auxiliary
prescription,” she told Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti.
Ms
Ogweno did not indicate which hospital the suspect was transferred to,
but said information from the prison authorities revealed she had been
transferred.
The presiding magistrate ordered the
officer in charge of Shimo la Tewa Women's Prison, where the suspect was
remanded, to appear before him today with detailed information on the
suspect’s whereabouts.
MEDICAL REPORT
Mr
Ogoti had also ordered that a comprehensive medical report on Ms
Aboud’s health condition be presented in court before the hearing of the
case could commence.
The suspect was to undergo surgery, which involves the removal of her left adrenal gland.
Defence
lawyer Hamisi Mwadzogo told the court he had not been informed about
the suspect being transferred to another hospital in Nairobi.
“I
am not aware of the new revelation; I am also shocked that the
prosecution knew that the suspect was transferred to another hospital
but kept the information to themselves,” he said.
The other three suspects are Ummulkheir Sadri Abdulla, Khadija Abubakar Abdulkadir and Halima Adan.
The women have denied 20 terror-related charges levelled against them, including being members of Al-Shabaab.
They
also denied possessing videos and pictures of former and current
Al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who are known
for organising and committing terror activities.
Police
said they committed the offence on March 27, 2015, at the Elwak border
point in Mandera County while trying to sneak into Somalia.
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