BY IRENE ONYANGO.
Former Isiolo South Member of Parliament Abdi Koropu Tepo has been charged with possession fake dollars amounting to Sh4.4 million.
Tepo, who shot at the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission officers who raided his home recently, appeared before Milimani Chief Magistrate Bernard Ochoi and denied the charges against him.
The MP was arrested alongside his wife Halima Gura Roka, a Quality Assurance Officer at the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
They were arrested after the former MP purported to open fire at EACC detectives who had gone to his residence to conduct a search at his home.
The detectives had raided the home targeting his wife, a prime suspect in the multi-million NHIF graft scandal, which is under investigation by the Commission.
During the operation, detectives recovered two briefcases full of US dollars and assorted chemicals (in powder and liquid form) suspected to be used for making fake notes.
Samples of the notes tested at the EACC Integrated Financial Forensic Lab were fake.
The charges stated that he was found in possession of 34,200 (Sh4.4 Million) fake US currency notes for one hundred denomination. It is alleged that he committed the offence on 25th July this year at Donholm estate.
He was further charged of being in possession of 300 pieces of papers intended to resemble and pass as a special paper such as is provided and used in making a Euro currency notes.
The court heard that Tepo was also in possession of one pistol make ceska CZ 75 without valid licence from firearm licensing board.
Additionally, the accused has been charged with being in possession of ammunition without a certificate and failing to comply with any conditions to which a firearm certificate is held.
He was released on a bond of Sh 300,000 or an alternative cashbail of Sh 100,000.
The matter will be mentioned of August 12.
