Charges against George Obama dropped
From David McKenzie CNN
NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) — All charges against George Obama, half-brother to U.S. President Barack Obama, have been dropped after his arrest in a drug raid, according to police in Kenya.
He was released on Saturday hours later, police added.
Obama was arrested in a Nairobi slum, and he was picked up with people who possessed marijuana, said police spokesman Eric Kiraithe.
“Being found with people who are in possession of cannabis is a petty offense,” Kiraithe said.
Earlier, police had told CNN that Obama had been arrested for possessing cannabis and resisting arrest, which can carry a sentence of up to a year in jail or hefty fines.
“Police in Kenya do not look at criminals in light of associations with relatives,” Kiraithe said.
Obama and the president barely know each other, though they have met. George Obama was one of the few people closely related to the president who did not attend the inauguration in Washington.