DPP’s plea to continue holding pastor Mackenzie to be determined

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) application seeking to extend the detention of alleged cult leader Paul Mackenzie will be heard today.

The request also took into account Paul Mackenzie’s 27 close members for six more months as well.

Mackenzie has already spent 180 days in custody, and adding more time seems to be necessary.

The key reason is that the police have not yet finished their investigation on critical matters.

Shakahola investigation

The police are still investigating the deaths of over 429 people whose bodies were exhumed from Shakahola Forest.

The Shakahola Forest exhumation was discovered on land Mackenzie owned and had his sermons urging believers to partake in long periods of fasting.

The charges against Mackenzie and his co-accused are extensive and include terrorism, murder, counselling and aiding suicide.

Moreover, the charges are not limited to abduction, radicalization, genocide, crimes against humanity, child cruelty, fraud, and money laundering.

However, as the investigation continues Mackenzie and the co-accused have not been officially charged.

The complexity of the investigation and the lengthy process of DNA analysis have contributed to the delay.

The DPP shared the challenges of getting DNA material from severely decomposed bodies.

The DPP stated that 360 out of the 429 corpses fall into the unidentifiable bracket.

The extraction process from bones is delicate, time-consuming, and costly, taking an estimated additional six months to complete.

The investigation team has been advised that each sample may take two to 14 days.

This is dependent on various factors such as available instruments, human resources, and chemicals.

In addition to the forensic aspects of the case, the DPP and the Assistant Director of Probation Aftercare Services have requested additional time.

The suspects’ cooperation has been limited, and additional time is needed to finish the inquiries and file the reports.

The defence counsel has also requested time to review the new application and prepare responses.

These developments highlight the complex nature of the case and the challenges faced in conducting a thorough investigation.

In brief, the completion of a proper investigation hinges on the ruling to extend time or not on the DPP’s side.