BY SAM ALFAN.
The High court has declined to set aside an order freezing bank accounts of Chief Registrar of Judiciary Anne Amadi over links to Sh100 million gold fraud.
Amadi had rushed to Court under a certificate of urgency seeking to lift the freeze order issued by Justice David Majanja on May 18.
Justice Majanja who sits alongside Amadi at Judicial Service Commission (JSC) recused himself from handling the matter and transferred the case to presiding judge of commercial court Alfred Mabeya.
Amadi told the court freezing of her personal bank accounts was prejudicial to her and she was unable to fend for her family.
“The Order of 18th May 2023 is extremely prejudicial to me as the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary, as I am unable to even carry on with my daily life, fend for my family, and meet my daily needs and may result in me undergoing financial embarrassment due to failure to meet my recurrent financial obligations,” Amadi told the court.
Justice Mabeya directed the Dubai based company- Bruton Gold Trading LLC to respond to Amadi’s application ahead of the hearing on May 29.
“All the applications are to be responded to by close of business on Friday.
Thereafter, parties will file and exchange skeleton submissions awaiting highlighting on Monday 29th May 2023 at 10:00 AM,” said Justice Mabeya.
Bruton Gold Trading LLC, has accused Amadi, her son Brian Ochieng’ and four others of defrauding it $742,206 1,500kg of gold bars in 2021, which was never shipped to Dubai as agreed.
Others names in the case are Andrew Njenga Kiarie, Kikanae Topoti, Daniel Ndegwa Kangara alias Daniel Muriithi and Edward Taylor alias Mboronda Seyenkulo Sakor, a Liberian passport holder.
Amadi distanced herself from the scam syaing she did not receive any money or benefit from the monies sent by the Dubai based company to the law firm of Amadi and Associates.
She said the firm was managed by her son Ochieng’ and Kiarie who received clients’ instructions, executed the same and received any client’s monies.
It is her case that she took leave of absence from the law firm with effect from 13th January 2014 and has never taken out any practice certificate or instructions from any client nor did she receive any monies from any client or person in that capacity.
Her son and lawyer Kiarie on their part denied being involved in the Sh100 million gold scam saying they were acting in their professional capacities as advocates.
