NYS theft suspects skip court date for laundering charges
Some of the NYS theft suspects in court. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
NYS theft suspects Tuesday failed to appear at Chief Magistrate’s Court at Milimani to answer to 15 counts of money laundering.
They will now be expected to appear in court on March 18 or risk arrest warrants being issued against them.
Suspected beneficiaries of the Sh791 million National Youth Service (NYS) scam Tuesday snubbed a court session in a case where the State is pressing money laundering charges against them.
The suspects failed to appear at Chief Magistrate’s Court at Milimani to answer to 15 counts of money laundering arising from investigations into the theft.
One of the suspects, Patrick Ogolla, obtained a High Court orders stopping his prosecution.
The State prosecutor Eddy Kadebe said that the stay order does not extend to other 10 suspects.
“While the application is not within the jurisdiction of this court, I urge the parties to approach the High Court once more for interpretation of the same orders,” the prosecutor said.
They will now be expected to appear in court on March 18 or risk arrest warrants being issued against them.
Among the suspects who failed to turn up court is Ms Josephine Kabura Irungu who recently filed a damning affidavit implicating former Devolution secretary Anne Waiguru in the scam.
Others are businessman Ben Gethi and lawyers who reportedly acted on behalf of those accused of being behind the theft.
The charges against Ms Kabura, Mr John Kago Ndungu, Mr Patrick Ogolla Onyango and Mr Gethi reads that between December 1, 2014 and April 30, 2015 in Nairobi they jointly engaged in an arrangement for the purchase of a motor vehicle registration number KCB 750Z, a Range Rover, at a cost of Sh23 million.
They allegedly engaged in the transaction knowing that the money used was from the proceeds of crime, namely Sh791,385, 000 stolen from the NYS.
Ms Kabura, Mr Kago and Ms Charity Wangui Gethi are further charged with buying a Jeep Cherokee at Sh6.3 million with money obtained from the NYS.
Mr Samuel Mudanyi Wachenje, alias Sam Mwadime, allegedly bought a Toyota Prado worth Sh5.2 million with the money.
The fourth charge states that Mr Kago, Mr Antony Kihara Gethi and Mr John Hope Van Damme jointly made arrangements to purchase a Sh5 million Land Cruiser between December 1, 2014 and April 30, 2015 in Nairobi.
Ms Kabura, Mr Kago, Ms Wangui Gethi and Mr Ogolla are also charged with buying land worth Sh63 million in Roselyn Estate, Nairobi from the proceeds of the scam.
Mr Mudanyi and Ms Kabura are also accused of buying Clay City House at Sh21.8 million “while knowing that the money was the proceeds of crime namely the sum of Sh791 million stolen from the NYS.”
The prosecution alleges that Mr Mudanyi also used Sh3.8 million to secure himself a plot in Ruiru.
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