BY PHOEBE WANJOHI.
A magistrate has barred a man facing charges in relation to fake tenders at the Department of Defence from traveling outside the country.
Chief magistrate Martha Mutuku also gave the police one month to arrest David Kahi Ambuku and produce him in court. She said the suspect has been absent from the trial, delaying the case.
Court further directed Director of Criminal investigations George Kinoti to allocate officers to ensure the suspect who has failed to attend court severally is arrested and brought before court.
The Magistrate also assured the investigating officer that the court will deal with accused once produced in court.
The court heard the accused who had claimed to be leaving the country for treatment in India had not left the country by Friday last week as per immigration records.
The officer told the court that the accused has been moving around the country so claims failing to attend court citing he is sick are false.
Ambuku is charged alongside Clifford Okoth Ongugo alias Victor Wandera, Samuel Murumet Maasai, Dedan Waithaka Mwangi, Elysha Onyango Oswago, Cliff Moseti Obwogi, Esther Kalungo Ngotho, Boniface Kamau Macharia and Allan Kiprotich Chesang.
The nine are facing charges of making false documents, forgery, uttering false documents and obtaining money by false pretenses.
They are accused that at unknown dates and place, with intent to deceive and without lawful authority or excuse, jointly with others still at large, made a contract document Reference No. MODP/SUPPLS0451-270/2017-18/SP dated 24th January 2018 purporting it to be a genuine and valid contract document for the supply of goods between State Department of Defence and WIL developers and Construction Limited.
They are also charged with forging the said contract document purporting it to be signed by Torome Saitoti the Principal Secretary Department of Defence and Rotich K. of the Finance Department in the Department of Defence.
The court further heard that the accused persons made a false document namely notification of award for restricted classified tender with the above reference number dated 22nd January 2018 purporting it to be a genuine letter of award for the supply of 50 Kilograms Jute Bags issued by the department of defense to WIL developers.
The accused face other counts of forgery, uttering false documents and obtaining a total of Sh 14 million from Johnson Wambua Mwanzia on 1st February 2018 at Standard bank of Kenya Harambe Avenue Branch and National Bank Harambee Avenue Branch by falsely pretending that they had acquired a tender to supply Jute Gunny Bags to the Department of Defence.
All of them denied the charges and were released on a cash bail of SH300, 000 pending hearing and determination of the Criminal case.
