IRENE ONYANGO.
The director of an engineering company will remain in police custody awaiting a ruling on whether he will be charged with stealing Sh13 million.
Fredrick Okello Orawo, a director at Seraph Engineering ltd director was detained for two days as Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Benard Ochoi makes his ruling.
Okello had pleaded through his lawyer for the plea to be deferred claiming the complainant was misusing court process.
He informed the court that the complainant has already filed a case before commercial court citing breach of contract and has sought compensation.
The prosecution opposed the application indicating that the complainant in the matter was the State and there was no order from the High Court stopping the plea taking.
According to the prosecutor, Okello was facing criminal charges and the court should proceed with the matter.
The court had noted that the accused person had presented medical documents that appeared not to be genuine upon verification by the investigation officer, in order to dodge court.
The officer told the court that upon consultation with Kenyatta hospital Administration, he was informed that there was no one by the name doctor Georgina Marete who had allegedly treated the accused person and signed the document.
The prosecution argued that for that reason, the accused should take plea and that the court should consider not giving bond terms upon taking the said plea.
The court also heard that the matter has been in court since 2021 and that if the accused didn’t want to talk plea, he could have challenged the same after the review application was dismissed by the higher court.
According to the charge sheet produced in court, on diverse dates between 26th March, 2021 and 6th April, 2021 being a director of Seraph Engineering ltd and without authority of the company board of directors opened an account at Standard Chartered Bank which account used to channel the company money instead of the known account domiciled at KCB Lavington branch thus occasioning the loss of Sh13,283,469.
The charge sheet further states that on 10th March 2021, at unknown place in Nairobi County, jointly with another not before court, conspired to defraud Patrick Mweti John by falsely opening an account at Standard Chartered Bank pretending that it was a genuine account for Seraph Engineering ltd.
