Kenya: three locally hired UNHCR staff plead 'not guilty' to extortion charges

Three staff members of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today pleaded "not guilty" to charges that they had extorted money from refugees seeking resettlement in Kenya.

The locally hired aid workers, who had been arrested last Thursday, were also charged with threatening UNHCR and United States Embassy officials, a UN spokesman said.

The three staff members entered their plea during an appearance before the Chief Magistrate's court in Nairobi. Following the defence lawyer's request for bond to be posted, the judge requested until tomorrow to consider the request and the prosecutor's objection to it.