BY NT REPORTER.
A businessman has been arraigned and charged before Nairobi Anti-Corruption Magistrate court with obtaining millions from Chinese contractor.
George Gichuri Karume is accused between 11 May and 16 December 2015 at City Hall conspired with two County officials, clerical officer Esther Nyambura Thogori and Building inspector Bonny Stephen Otieno Oduor dishonestly received Sh 8,891,943 building plan approval monies meant for Nairobi County Government.
The three are accused of conspiring to defraud Chinese Contractor Li Wen Xue the above monies purporting to be building approval fee by the county government.
Prosecution alleged that on 11May and 3 June in Nairobi, Karume obtained the 8 million from Xue by falsely pretending that he was in a position to obtain building approval from the county Government on his behalf.
Karume is further accused of knowingly and fraudulently uttering a false document namely Nairobi City County Government Construction Invoice purporting it to be genuine.
He is also charged with making and uttering a false Nairobi City Construction Local Authority Information financial and operation management receipt purporting it to be genuine.
Prosecution opposed the accused to be released on bail claiming that he is at flight risk and had failure to cooperate with the authorities.
Chief Magistrate Felix Kombo heard that the other accused persons appeared in court a few months ago and denied the charges.
However, investigating officer accused Karume of failing to cooperate as efforts to trace him through his phone were futile since he never responded to the calls and messages from EACC detectives.
The magistrate ruled that the accused be detained until 3rd December when the two matters will be consolidated.
“I have considered the affidavit on record and conduct of the accused person cannot be trusted. I hereby commit him to prison remand”. ordered Kombo.
He also directed Karume to renew his bail application before the trial court.
