Media company Royal Media Services has today thrown it’s weight behind embattled journalist Jacque Maribe. This comes in the wake of the the DPPs demands that the high court bars Miss Maribe from anchoring news even if she is released on bail. There were also fears among the public that Citizen TV might end up disowning Mrs. Maribe given the grave allegations leveled against her and in turn sack her.
The company has allayed those fears and affirmed that Jacque Maribe is still an employee of Royal Media Services despite her tribulations with the law. RMS has even said it supports Maribe’s release on bail.
On Thursday, RMS Managing Director Wachira Waruru in a statement said Maribe has had a clean record adding that her character over the years is not questionable.
“Having engaged her for the last six years, and assessing her performance, we hereby vouch for her character and recommend for her admission to bail,” he said.
Waruru said that Maribe has taken leave “to attend to personal issues” and further recommended that she be released as she will not jump bail.
“Due to her exceptional performance she has been appointed to the position of Friday’s prime time news anchor on the station,” he said.
“She joined the company as a reporter on Citizen Television and was later promoted to the position of senior reporter on the same station. Arising from the promotion, she was assigned huge national and international events which she undertook successfully.”
Yesterday, the DPPs office through state counsel Catherine Mwaniki argued that Maribe’s appearance on TV presenting news will water their investigations and evidence as she will influence the witnesses in the murder case.
Her lawyers, led by Kagwa Kigen rejected the the bid terming it a violation of her constitutional rights.
“All we are saying is that being a media personality, there is a high possibility that while mingling with the members of the public, she is likely to take advantage to influence the witnesses,” the assistant DPP said.
Prosecution’s bail application requested court to consider stopping Maribe’s participation in media activities to avert witness intimidation
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Judge James Wakiaga said Maribe and her fiancé Joseph Irungu will remain in custody until Tuesday, October 30, the day the court will rule on their bail application.
The court will also rule on whether the Citizen TV anchor will be able to present news if released on bond.
Wakiaga said he needed time to deliberate on the submissions made by the prosecution and defence lawyers.