A Kenyan court on Wednesday convicted a Venezuelan diplomat over the murder of the Latin American nation’s acting ambassador 10 years ago at her official residence in the capital, Nairobi.
Dwight Sagaray, who was the Venezuelan embassy’s first secretary, was found guilty of the killing of Olga Fonseca on 27 July 2012.
Three Kenyan nationals who had been charged alongside Mr Sagaray were also convicted.
The diplomat was tried for the murder after his diplomatic immunity was waived by Venezuela.
The court found that Mr Sagaray was heading the mission before the arrival of Ms Fonseca and was angered by her presence since he wanted to continue overseeing the embassy, Reuters news agency reports.
Ms Fonseca, 57, was killed less than two weeks after she started her new role in Nairobi on 15 July.
Dwight Sagaray, who was the Venezuelan embassy’s first secretary, appeared before a judge in Nairobi and was remanded in custody.
Olga Fonseca was found strangled to death at her official residence in Nairobi on 27 July.
A prosecutor said Mr Sagaray was a key suspect in the killing. The diplomat denies the charges.
Judge Florence Muchemi also charged and issued an arrest warrant for Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, who went missing after the murder.
Kenyan police say Mr Hassan, a Kenyan citizen of Somali origin, is a close friend of Mr Sagaray.
Two other people – Kenyan security guards Eliud Kimutai and Bernard Owino – were charged last week with failing to use any reasonable means to stop the murder.
Ms Fonseca, 57, had started her new role in Nairobi on 15 July.
The motive for her killing is unclear.
But Kenyan officials said some staff at the residency, in Nairobi’s Runda estate, were unhappy after being sacked by Ms Fonseca.
They had accused her predecessor, Gerardo Carrillo Silva, of sexual harassment.
He left Nairobi two months ago after six years in the post.
The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was conducting an investigation into the allegations against Mr Carrillo Silva.