NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 9 – There was confusion Monday on the wherebouts of Turkish businessman Harun Aydin after his lawyer Ahmednassir Abdullahi initially claimed that he had been deported.
Abdullahi had told journalits that Aydin was deported on Monday morning, and vowed to challenge the decision by the state in court.
“We have been here since morning and he has not been brought,” the lawyer said, accompanied by Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and others allied to Ruto. “We have learned that the state has deported him.”
But two hours later, Ahmednassir tweeted that Aydin had not been deported.
“Slight clarification. Harun Aydin wasn’t “formally deported” by the Kenyan authorities. No passenger processed for deportation was on the last Turkish Airlines to Istanbul this morning. HARUN AYDIN left Nairobi “voluntarily,” the lawyer tweeted.
Slight clarification. Harun Aydin wasn't "formally deported" by the Kenyan authorities. No passenger processed for deportation was on the last Turkish Airlines to Istanbul this morning. HARUN AYDIN left Nairobi "voluntarily" https://t.co/vbdpJuIvlz
— Ahmednasir Abdullahi SC (@ahmednasirlaw) August 9, 2021
It was Ahmednassir who first confirmed the deportation in a tweet on Monday morning; “Breaking news…Confirmed Harun Aydin was DEPORTED. Government realised it can’t sustain a criminal case.”
Aydin who has close links to Deputy President William Ruto, “left the country voluntarily” two days after his arrest on arrival from Uganda.
Just talked & apologised on behalf of GoK to Aydin Harun, now in Turkey, who was politically arrested, tortured & falsely profiled as a 'terrorist' but later asked to fly out not to ashame those involved.Political pettiness is expensive/dangerous & will destroy our economy.SHAME.
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) August 9, 2021
Ahmednassir said “if he had committed a crime he could have been presented in court to face justice.”
He has vowed to challenge the move in court.
“As his lawyers, we will challenge the process to deport him because deportation is done according to certain procedures and laws. The government cannot just deport because someone is a friend to the Deputy President and we will challenge that,” he stated at the Kahawa Law courts where Aydin was expected to be arraigned, “We will bring him back to this country, whether it is this year, whether it is next year or the other year, it doesn’t matter,” he had said earlier before he learnt that the businessman left voluntarily.
Sudi on his part defended the Turkish businessman saying, “if Aydin is a terrorist then I am also a terrorist. This is someone I know him very well.”
Aydin was arrested Saturday on arrival from Uganda for interrogation by Immigration officers and Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) detectives on whether he had engaged in criminal activities.
On Saturday, a senior police officer at Police Headquarters told Capital FM News that indeed “The Turkish is under arrest and is being interrogated over criminal activities.”
GSU officers outside the Anti Terrorism Police Unit Headquarters in Nairobi where Harun Aydin, the Turkish in DP William Ruto’s aborted trip to Uganda was being questioned on August 7, 2021.
He did not elaborate but another security source said security forces were particularly keen to establish how he has been entering and exiting the country due to discrepancies in his travel documents.
Ruto was stopped from travelling to Uganda with Aydin on August 2, due to lack of clearance from the President but he has protested saying he is not required to seek permission to travel having travelled without clearance for the past nine years.
He asked the government “not to use the criminal justice system to drive the country’s politics”.
The Deputy President said political differences among leaders should not result in the oppression of ordinary citizens and the derailment of government development programmes.
He asked Kenyans not to allow politicians to take them back to tribal and divisive politics.
Ruto told Inooro Radio last week that the Turkish businessman was a reputable man and that he had helped him acquire Sh15 billion from Equity bank to set up a vaccine manufacturing plant in Uganda.
And on Sunday the DP said, “I do not associate with terrorists.”
The government has not issued any formal statement on the matter, and there was no official was willing to comment on it Monday.
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