The High Court Anti-corruption court has issued orders prohibiting the sale or transfer of motor vehicles whose owners are facing drug trafficking charges.
This is after the Assets Recovery Agency moved to court seeking preservation orders against the vehicles and money in several bank accounts belonging to the suspects on suspicion that they were purchased using proceeds of crime acquired directly or indirectly through drug trafficking.
Dida Jarso Ache and Yusuf Alkano Sokono are facing charges of drug trafficking before Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts. One Grace Anyona Mbida, Jason Boru Dida, Florence Nthenya Kimeu and Samwel Nyabegi Maobe are listed as interested parties in the suit.
Justice Dora Chepkwony also ordered the vehicles to be surrendered in the custody of Assets Recovery and assembled at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Headquarters with immediate effect and surrender their logbooks.
“The respondents and interested parties should surrender the original logbooks of the motor vehicles specified in the application within seven days….” ruled the judge.
Ache and Sokono were arrested on 29th May 2020 along Sagana-Nairobi highway next to Kakuzi farm and found to be ferrying 10 sacks of a dry greenish plant material in motor vehicle registration number KCU 348H Toyota land cruiser pickup registered in Mbinda’s name.
On 30th May 2020, the greenish material was established to be narcotics drugs weighing 481 kilograms.
The other vehicles include a Mercedes Benz Actros KCW 835N registered in the name of Jarso Boru Dida, Toyota Ractis KCS 906G registered in the name of Florence Nthenya Kimeu, a Toyota probox KCN 112H registered in the name of Samwel Maobe.
According to the Agency, preliminary investigations have established that Ache, through Boru, purchased the Land Cruiser pickup from Musa Yusuf Mdose who had purchased it from Grace Mbinda who is the registered owner.
According to the supporting affidavit of the investigating officer, CPL Isaac Nakitare, Ache admitted in his statement to having been involved in drug trafficking for three years prior to his arrest and to being the beneficial owner of the above listed motor vehicles.
The court heard that there was imminent danger the respondents shall dispose, transfer and dissipate the said assets unless the court issued a preservation order.
