Kenyan judge denies bail for former Venezuelan diplomat accused of murdering acting ambassador

NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan court has denied bail for a former Venezuelan diplomat charged with murder.

High Court Judge Nicholas Ombija ruled Monday that Dwight Sagaray was a flight risk. Sagaray is charged with the July murder of acting Venezuelan Ambassador Olga Fonseca. He has pleaded not guilty.

Venezuelan officials previously agreed to waive Sagaray's diplomatic immunity so that he could be charged. Sagaray plans to challenge that decision at a hearing Nov. 12. The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 15.

Fonseca was found strangled in the embassy's official residence on July 27. She reported to Kenya on July 15 to replace former ambassador Gerardo Carillo Silva.