A businessmen charged alongside Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter and another in Sh 633 million Treasury Bills fraud has been charged afresh.
Mohan Mahesh Alias Madat Saburali Chatur was charged afresh after the prosecution amended his real name and another count of using a fake National Identity card.
Mahesh was in the previous charge sheet known as ‘alias Madat Saburali Chatur’ after another businessman claiming to be the real Chatur requested to be enjoined as an interested party in the matter.
Mahesh who was charged alongside Keter and businessman Johnstone Arthur Sakwa denied the charges before Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi who granted them a bond Sh 5 million or a cash bail of Sh 2 million.
In the first count, the three were charged with conspiracy to defraud Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) by means of presenting forged Treasury Bills issue number 1138 dated February 5, 1990 valued at Sh 286,000,000.
The accused are alleged to have committed the offense on 16th February 2018 at CBK in Nairobi, jointly with others not before court.
They faced a third count of making a false document on unknown date a
They also faced a count of making false documents namely the Treasury Bills valued at Sh286 million purporting them to be valid, issued by CBK.
Other counts stated that they made similar bills on unknown dates of Sh347, 000,000 and Sh272, 601,095 purporting them to have been drawn at Barclays Bank of Kenya.
They are also said to have made a letter head allegedly from CBK for Treasury bill valued at Sh347 million which they purported to have been issued by Maina Warui, Registrar, National Debt Office at CBK.
Lastly, Mahesh was today charged with additional charge of unlawful possession of an Identity Card of another person against the law.
He is accused that on 16th February 2018 at Central Bank of Kenya in Nairobi, he was unlawfully found in possession of National Identity card belonging to another namely 1813299 Madat Sabulari Chatur.
The three accused persons faced several other counts of making false documents and forgery.
Prosecution requested the court to adjourn the matter which was coming up for hearing today on grounds that they needed more time to supply the defense with all the necessary documents in the case.
Lawyers for the defense among them Stanley Kangahi and Kimutai Bosek opposed the application for adjournment claiming the prosecution has had four months since their clients were first charged to prepare the documents.
“The way the prosecution was conducting itself showed they were ready to proceed with this matter. I don’t understand the documents they are talking about that have taken months for them to supply,” said Bosek.
When the the three were charged on 19th February 2018, the prosecution had opposed Mahesh being released on bail claiming that he was using a forged ID but the request was denied since they had not charged him with the offense.
Magistrate Andayi directed the prosecution to supply the defense with the documents in 2 days’ time.
The matter will be heard on July 25, 2018.
