BY SAM ALFAN.
Former police commissioner major General Mohammed Hussein Ali has denies his involvement in the controversial Anglo leasing contract of supply of police security equipment.
The former police boss told Anti-Corruption senior principal magistrate Felix Kombo that he was not aware of the Modernisation project since he took over the office in 2004 to 2009 when he left the force.
” I don’t know about the modernisation project since i have never since any correspondence in regard to the contract and the project might have started before l took over the office from my predecessor
Edwin Nyaseda,” said Mr Ali.
Ali was testifying in case in which Former Finance Minister David Mwiraria, former Permanent Secretaries Magari (treasury), Dave Mwangi
and David Onyonka, Rasmi Chamanlal and Deepak Kumar and Chamanlal Kamani are accused of conspiracy to defraud the government Euros 40
million (Sh3.8billion).
The witness further said that on July 21,2004 he wrote a letter to PS Dave Mwangi requesting to be supplied with the copies of the contract
so that he could familiarize with it and know parties to the contract, establish how the payments were being made and the types of goods that were procured for the police department but did not get any response to the letter from the Office of The President or the PS himself since
he left the office.
He further informed the court that he was also not aware that the Finance Minister had under the law procurement regulations due the secrecy nature of the police security equipment that were to be procured.
The former police commissioner also confirmed that Sound Day Corporation which had been contracted by the Kenya Government had been supplying police firearms, ammunition and other accessories since 1993 and remained the supplier until 2006.
Ali said that the Kenya police department through his juniors namely Levin Mwandi who was former director of logistics at the police department and former Chief armourer BS Musyoka were unable to confirm which deliveries came under which contract.
He also said that he was clueless that any contract above 500,000 USD was to be procured at the Ministry level and not in the police department.
The former police boss after being shown the controversial contract by senior state counsel Emily Kamau he said that the equipment that were
to be procure under the contract were large number of firearms.
The court was informed that the contract was executed on December 7 ,2003 before Ali took over the office on April 5, 2004.
Another witness former senior superintendent of police in charge of recording receipts of goods at the armour Jackson Tumwet testified that there was only one tender committee that was in the office of the President and not in police department.
He confirmed that the receipts of goods supplied to the police department were from Sound Day Corporation during his tenure.
In the case prosecution alleges that two companies Sound Day Corporation and Apex Finance Corporation which signed for the contract
to supply security equipment to the Police Department were direct beneficiaries of the monies which costed the Kenya Government Euros 40
million (Sh3.8billion).
Also charged in the case is former finance minister David Mwiraria who is accused of engaging in a project without prior planning.
Proceedings to proceed.