BY NT CORRESPONDENT.
High court has declined to issue an order to unfreeze bank account belonging to businesswoman, whose money is suspected to have been illegally obtained.
Justice Lydia Achode dismissed an application by filed Pamela Aboo, seeking orders to have her three bank accounts held at Equity bank unfrozen BY assets recovery agency.
The accounts has Sh20 million which she failed to explain its sources. The judge said that from the application by the business lady who is a wife to KRA senior officer, she has not demonstrated how she obtained the money which the Asset Recovery Agency suspect to be proceed of crime. She dismissed the application seeking review of the order obtained by the Agency freezing the bank accounts, saying that the court is not satisfied with reasons given by Aboo.
The Agency through Senior State legal officer Mohammed Adow had indicated in its replying affidavit that the funds under preservation are suspected to have been acquired through bribery and money laundering by her husband.
The lady’s bank account were frozen on July 14, 2017 through an order issued by the Chief Magistrate’s court sitting in Milimani, Nairobi.
The pointed out that the Agency has already filed an application seeking order forfeiture, the application is yet to be heard.
“Despite the business woman maintaining that the money in question arise from her various business, she gave no evidence to demonstrate the sources and the kind of trade she conducts”, Justice Achode said.
The statements by Aboo concerning the relevant bank accounts show that she only made deposits and did not withdraw, saying that she did not submit to court any form of proof as invoice and payments from customers.
“I note that Aboo has not demonstrated to the court that she relies on the said monies to provide day to day expenses. Freezing the account therefore will not deprive her of reasonable living expenses, since it is not an account she withdraws money from”, the judge said.
Justice Achode dismissed the application with costs saying it lacked merit.
